Emerson College reportedly lays off 30 staff members

Local News

This marks the second summer in a row where Emerson has announced layoffs.

Emerson College reportedly laid off 30 staff members last month, making it the latest higher education institution in Boston to cut staff amid financial headwinds. 

All told, the recent cuts at Emerson represent a 5% staff reduction for the liberal arts college. Emerson officials cited decreasing enrollment and revenue figures that came in below projections as reasons for the layoffs, according to The Berkeley Beacon, Emerson’s student newspaper. 

An Emerson spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Friday. 

This is the second year in a row that Emerson has cut staff members. Last summer, 10 staff members were let go and two programs were suspended due to declining enrollment. College leaders said that enrollment was dropping partially because of “negative press and social media.”

Emerson was home to one of the more significant pro-Palestine student encampments in the spring of 2024. When Boston police were called by the city to clear the encampment, student protesters physically clashed with officers and more than 100 people were arrested. Students afterwards described being “beaten and bloodied” by the police.

But other Boston schools where students were not as visibly involved in protest activity are letting staff go as well. Last month, Boston University laid off about 120 people as it cut its budget by 5%. BU leaders blamed federal funding cuts, rising inflation, and changing demographics. Suffolk University also laid off 35 staff members this summer. That university’s president cited federal policies that are harming international student enrollment and said that Suffolk needed to provide more financial support to students than initially projected. 

Out of the 30 Emerson employees that were laid off, 12 were part of the Emerson Staff Union, according to the Beacon. Union leaders attempted to negotiate with Emerson officials and stop the layoffs by offering to redirect members’ retirement matching contributions, but Emerson leaders declined. 

The union told the Beacon that “student-facing services” like the library, the costume shop, the Writing and Academic Resource Center, and the Instructional Technology Group were impacted by the layoffs. 

Representatives for the union did not return a request for comment Friday.

 Some Emerson faculty are saying that they have lost trust in Emerson President Jay Bernhardt’s leadership, GBH News reported this week. They describe Bernhardt as reclusive and unwilling to engage with students and faculty.

In addition to the staffing cuts, Emerson recently launched a “Voluntary Separation Incentive Program” that offers benefits to eligible employees who voluntarily resign. 

The college’s highest-paid employees, who make up 10% of non-union staff, are not going to receive salary increases next year, according to the Beacon.