Bradley University president Stephen Standifird announced his recommendations for program discontinuations and layoffs on Nov. 6 as the university seeks to right-size its finances. Department heads were given 30 days to respond to those recommendations. Standifird has said he wants to implement the cuts by the end of the year. Those cuts have proven controversial among faculty and students.
Standifird did one-on-one interviews with Peoria media outlets on Monday morning. A transcript of his talk with WCBU News Director Tim Shelley follows:
A big discussion here on campus right now is the cuts. And I wanted to ask a question about the number of cuts happening. Of course, there's been 17 programs, which are potentially up for discontinuation and another five that, you know, would basically no longer be majors or concentrations. But I've also heard that there's other positions like affiliate faculty positions that are also going away.
Yeah. And that's something we will look at every single year, actually. So these, they're obviously being discussed as part of these cuts. And that's appropriate that we do so, is the kind of thing that we would look at on a continuous basis to make sure that we are staffing at the appropriate level in the right areas. That's something that the Deans would be making decisions about in a normal year, regardless. Obviously, some of that's been included in the numbers for this year. But that's just part of how we run the university in general.
How many positions total? Do you have even a rough estimate right now?
Yeah. So we are actually there's there's 68 positions that are actually being eliminated as part of this process. Forty-seven of those are positions that currently have people in them. So the other remaining ones are ones that are either open or known retirements.
So that doesn't include the affiliate faculty, though?
It does.
Oh, it does. Okay.
That's the total number, absolutely.
In terms of the programs up for discontinuation, I know the faculty review committee was part of the process of figuring out where cuts would be made. There's not an entire overlap there (with their recommendations and what was announced). I guess my question would be, how were the determinations made on what was discontinuing?
So there's a fair amount of overlap between what the faculty committee recommended and then the decisions that I, or the the programs that I announced, last Monday.
The main difference is that the the faculty committee, I very much appreciate the work that they did, it was a very difficult task on their part, and they were able to get to a certain point. And then at a certain point, they were uncomfortable moving forward.
So at that point, one of the things that I did is I took a deep look at really understanding what programs are best meeting the needs and interests of today's students and predominantly looking at enrollment trends, and to what extent are students interested in programs that we currently offer. And that was really the driving decision behind the announcement that was made on Monday.
Is it believed that what's on the table currently, if it does take effect, would be enough to close that $13 million operational deficit?
So our program for really trying to put the University on strong financial standing is actually multifaceted. One piece of that, obviously, is the financial impact of what we've announced.
The other thing we're doing is we are making investments along the way as well. One of the big investments we just made is the partnership with T-Mobile and Apple to create the digitally connected campus. And we believe that will play an important factor in really driving increased enrollment. So we're looking at really think of it as a multifactor process that involves both identifying areas where we can do cost reductions, but also investments we can make, that we believe will result in positive revenue returns.
A question kind of centered around some student concerns, has there been any talk as to raising tuition or reducing the tuition discount as part of this process?
One of the things that we'll look at every year is what should our tuition rate be? And that's something we constantly assess. But the focus really has been right now on understanding the needs and interest of today's students and making sure we have the appropriate programs. That's what's really driving the enrollment decisions. So when you talk about discount rate and enrollment numbers, what we're really focused on is, are we offering things today that satisfy the needs and interests of today's students? If we are things like enrollment and discount rate will take care of itself.
In terms of the programs that do interest today's students, how do you make that determination? Is it just a number of where enrollments are increasing? Or how do you determine that?
The driving factor behind a lot of that really is paying attention to what students are interested in today. So we've got for each of the programs, we have multi year enrollment trendline data that we look at. The other thing we'll look at is changes in the market. So for example, a program we don't have today but we'll be introducing is a new program in data science and analytics. And while we don't have that program on the books today, we do know, looking at the market, that this is something that students are particularly interested in. And those are the type of things we're looking at as we're making these decisions.
What's the vision moving forwards (for Bradley)? Is still the same, or is the vision changing?
The vision is the same as it's been almost from our very founding, and that really is understanding how we can best prepare today's students to be successful. And that obviously requires us to constantly make an assessment of the type of things that we're offering, because the world in which our students operate is changing rather dramatically.
Well, so for example, we don't do horology anymore. We haven't done horology since 1961. We are making big investments in the areas like cybersecurity and data analytics. And a lot of that is really just understanding how do we best prepare our students for success in today's environment, which was the vision that Lydia Moss Bradley had when she founded the university.
There's been some talk on campus as well about issues with bank loans or covenants. Can you speak a little bit more to that?
Yeah, one of the things that we're paying very close attention to and our finance office does a good job of that is making sure that we are meeting the expectations of the banks, when you suddenly find yourself in a deficit situation, that's something that catches the attention of the banks. So we've been in detailed conversation with them.
One of our largest banking partners is PNC, for example. We've had detailed conversations with them, share with them our plans for moving the university in a positive direction. They've been supportive of that, although they do expect us to get our financial house in order, which is a big part of the reason we're making the changes that we're making.
I was gonna say, because one of the rumors around campus is that the problems with the bank are what's driving the cuts. Is that accurate?
No, that was-
Okay.
So we will manage the relationship with the banks as we need to manage the relationship with the banks. The driving force behind the decisions we're making today, fundamentally, is, are we satisfying the needs and interests of today's students? And I am such a strong advocate that if you do that, well, the finances will take care of itself. So we've really got to focus on are these the right programs that are of interest to today's students. And if they are, enrollments, discount rate, all of that will adjust accordingly. So that's really been the heart of the reason for the changes today.
And I think Greg and Dan also asked you this this morning, but it does seem like this kind of, I don't want to say came out of nowhere, but it seems like it came out very quickly that these cuts needs to be made. Why is that?
Yeah, so it's interesting, we've known for some time that higher education is in a difficult space, right? By almost any measure, the industry is about 25% over built. What's happened is that's been combined with a fundamental shift in how the world thinks about higher education that the expectations of higher education have changed. And there's a much level a much higher level of expectation in terms of value added activities, really being responsive to what today's students want.
And it did come up rather quickly, a lot of that came out of a kind of what I would call the lagged effect of the pandemic really cause students to really think about their education differently. So it did catch up pretty quickly. We're not alone in this, though. If you look, in fact, in the Chronicle of Higher Education today, they actually did an article talking about seven different schools that are going through very similar processes to us. So it did happen rather rapidly. It's happened to the entire industry. And as a result, you're seeing organizations, universities throughout the country making a very similar types of decisions.
And I'm sure you're aware,there's talks of a walkout happening among faculty and students tomorrow. Do you have any plans to respond to that? Or even just, you know, address it?
No, you know, like, I really respect the interest of my colleagues wanting to express their concerns. I will say that they have been very thoughtful about working with us to make sure we have specific rules, regulations around how you do protests on campus, and they've been very thoughtful about working with us to make sure that's done an appropriate way. And I support the right to do so.
I guess just in terms of the Peoria community, I know a lot of alums. I mean, I'm an alum-
Yeah.
A lot of alums have been talking about, you know, they're just concerned. They're watching what's happening, and they're concerned from the outside. How are you reassuring the alumni, you know, who the school depends on for significant contributions that everything's going in the right direction?
It's a great question. And one of the things I want to reassure - look, Bradley is fundamentally strong. We have, we have a strong balance sheet. And more importantly, we do have a great mix of offerings to the community. We really are trying to be responsive to the needs and interests of today's students. And I would argue that it's precisely because of these changes that I'm confident about the long term success of Bradley University.
So in terms of the alums, how are you talking to them? Are you reassuring them?
So we actually have various types of communications, we do Bradley Connected, bunch of different types of communication. Much of this information is available on the website. I just got back from doing some travel to visit with some of our alumni, and constantly comfortable having these conversations about the direction of the university.
Have there been any talks about cuts to athletics or administration as part of this process?
You know, one of the things we've been doing throughout the year and actually one of the things we do every year is to really pay very close attention to how we operate the University not just on the academic side of the house, but throughout the university. That is something we have been doing. That is something we'll continue to do.
Specifically athletics. Has there been any look at cuts to athletics as part of reducing the operational deficit?
So I would argue that we have what is arguably one of the best run athletic programs in the country. I think Dr. Reynolds does a fabulous job. In fact, I think there's a case to be made that he is the best athletic director in the country. This is something he's paid very close attention to throughout the years, and will continue to do so he runs a very good shop, and I suspect he will continue to do so.
So you're comfortable with where the finances are there?
I am.
And same thing with administration.
Again, we continue to look come back every year, we'll be going through this process again for this year. We take a very tough look at our budget to make sure that we're spending in the right ways, in the right areas. And that's something we'll continue to do moving forward.
I understand Bradley just (hired), and I'm gonna get his title wrong. DJ Menifee, who has marketing and enrollment... I mean, he's wearing several hats, right?
Yes, yes. It's a very long title.
What was the purpose of combining all those roles, and what's really his task?
Yeah. So his official title is Vice President of enrollment, marketing, communications, and retention. And if you look at what really drives so much of what we do in terms of bringing our class together, making sure that they're here successfully, there's this important nexus between marketing and enrollment management that is critical to the success of the university.
And at a lot of universities, when we had this challenge here at Bradley, you often run into this situation where, you know, each group is pointing at each other and saying, 'Well, you know, if only you did this, well, if only you did that', and the best way to handle that is to bring the two groups together. So now we really have a unified approach to our enrollment and marketing management team. And that's done through DJ Menifee.
And that's part of the big reason for going with this particular approach. You alluded to the question of, you know, how do I know we're going to be successful? We're going to be successful because we're making these types of decisions that really position the university to be successful moving forward.
So enrollment and marketing are literally working hand in hand now.
Exactly, hand in hand. That's a great way of describing it.
Talk a little bit then about, what's his strategy? I know, he's got a very extensive background at Butler, and I think Knox College, a lot of other places. And he's only a few days on the job, but what is his task moving forward, let's say for the next, month, next six months, next year.
Well, first of all, he's hit the ground running, and he's been here less than two weeks. And I can tell you, the amount that he's already done in those two weeks is pretty remarkable. The reality is, is as soon as we announced his his appointment, he started the job. And that's become obvious now that he's landed here on campus.
Really, the fundamental task for DJ and for the entire team is really understanding and helping us understand what today's students are looking for in terms of their educational experience. They are very much our frontline group. They're the ones that really are out in the market, understanding the needs and interests of today's students. So a big part of his job is, first of all, helping them understand how what we do here at Bradley meets the needs and interests of today's students, right. So part of his task is to help make sure that the students we're trying to attract, understand what it is we do to really satisfy what it is they're looking for. And then quite frankly, part of it is to feed back to us to help us better understand the type of changes we need to continue to make to really make sure we're meeting students today where they need to be met.
Are you confident that after all of these various changes have been implemented, that Bradley is going to be in a stable place where we don't have to keep having the conversation about cuts coming up every couple of years?
Yeah, and I liked your term. Thank you for that. The term I use is confidence. I don't talk about being optimistic. Optimism assumes hope. Confidence suggests you have a plan. And we have a very clear plan on how we're going to move forward. And I'm very confident that we're going to get there. One of the things that makes me confident is we are shifting into a mode of continuous renewal. And one of the things that we'll be doing is we will be constantly adapting to the needs and interests of today's students to assure that we are contemporary and what it is that we're doing.
