In the spring, Bowie State University in Maryland cut 79 staff positions in an effort to alleviate the HBCU’s $18 million deficit ahead of fiscal year 2027. Now the university plans to cut 20 faculty positions before the start of fiscal year 2028, according to a report from The Baltimore Banner.
Stacie Burgess, a spokesperson for Bowie State, told The Baltimore Banner that the cuts are a result of organizational restructuring, including the reorganization of several academic departments. The affected faculty have been given a one-year notice and will continue to teach through the current academic year.
During the fall 2025 semester, billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $50 million to Bowie State. This gift was unrestricted, enabling the HBCU’s administrators to direct the funds at their discretion. Scott’s earlier $25 million donation to Bowie State in 2020 was also unrestricted.
But in fiscal year 2026, Bowie State faced a $13.6 million shortfall, which grew to $18 million in fiscal year 2027. According to a recent letter to the campus community from President Amnita H. Breaux, the HBCU’s “structural deficit and significant financial pressures” are expected to “extend into fiscal year 2028.”
