Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, North Carolina, saw tuition revenue drop by $3 million during the last academic year. The private historically Black university has been forced to take a number of cost-cutting measures due to the drop in revenue.
Last spring, interim president Everett Ward laid off 4 percent of the university’s workers. All university employees were furloughed for one week in July and another one-week furlough will take place this coming December. The academic structure of the university has been revised to focus on four key disciplines and other programs have been cut back.
Now the university has announced that it will not rehire 70 adjunct faculty member who had been teaching at the university. Existing faculty will be asked to take on larger teaching roles.
President Ward told the Raleigh News & Observer, that “I believe the university is in a much improved position than it was 100 days ago. Are we out of the woods? I would not say that we are.”
It’s unfortunate that St. Augs is having financial problems; however, the college should consider closing or merging with another college/university.
The college is one of the weakest, academically, in the country. The vast majority of students at St. Augs are not prepared to handle even a mildly rigorous college curriculum.