Idaho State University is cutting about 45 positions across its workforce and consolidating two colleges, East Idaho News reports.

The cuts follow weeks of uncertainty — and little clarification from university leaders — regarding who will be impacted by a range of planned budget reduction efforts, and how.

Cuts include administrators, faculty and staff and are part of a reduction plan that the university proportionally aligned across employee groups, leaders say.

Around 40% of the eliminated jobs are vacant, but some staff members, including biology and geosciences administrative assistants, learned at recent meetings that their positions end June 20.

Here’s a breakdown of where the cuts will happen:

• Faculty — 12 of 634: 1.89%.
• Administration — 11 of 75: 14.7%.
• Staff — 21 of 1,102: 2.09%.

The university will also combine the College of Education and the College of Fine Arts, East Idaho News reports. The new college will be the College of Humanities, Education and Social Science.

Cuts and consolidation follow weeks of uncertainty

The news follows weeks of speculation and uncertainty around unclear messaging tied to cuts and restructuring. 

ISU has been “in the process of informing” those impacted by budget reduction plans, according to a statement university spokeswoman Emily Frandsen shared with EdNews last week. 

But the university won’t share an overview of the “changes” and “new initiatives” until mid-February, the statement reads. EastIdahoNews.com says it gained access this week to two meetings detailing the cuts.

Meanwhile, it’s been unclear how reduction efforts have impacted university employees because university leaders haven’t shared specifics.

ISU President Robert Wagner “will have more (information) as he works through the process,” Frandsen told EdNews via email last week.

State cuts fuel ISU’s changes — and more cuts could come

Changes outlined in ISU’s general budget statement stem from a 3% state holdback that hit Idaho’s higher education institutions and other state agencies in September. In pursuit of a balanced budget, state budget writers are weighing another possible 2% in statewide cuts that could impact Idaho’s colleges and universities again this year. 

Another round of cuts would also mean mandatory furloughs at ISU this fiscal year, affecting employees who make more than $60,000 annually, according to a budget-cutting scenario the university shared with legislative staffers last week. Staff reductions and restructuring would also apply if further cuts happen, university leaders said, impacting student services and in-demand workforce programs. 

Click here for more on how higher education leaders across the state say more budget cuts would cause fallout.

But scenarios shared with lawmakers this week deal with possible cuts beyond the 3% holdbacks already in place. The Legislature will have further say on additional cuts this legislative session.

ISU is quietly implementing changes

Still, budget reduction changes have hit ISU staff with little clarification from the university about who’s being impacting, and how.

Questions about cuts and other changes began swirling last month, after Wagner emailed staff members about changes in the works. The Jan. 26 message outlined budget challenges and listed five strategic priorities for university leaders, including a “structural redesign” and efforts for improved “operational efficiency.”

Wagner promised staff more details to come but made one thing clear: Change is coming. 

“While these plans are necessary and forward-looking, we acknowledge that change of this magnitude is not easy,” Wagner wrote. “People, teams, and units across the university will be impacted in different ways.”

Wagner did not directly address layoffs or other cost-cutting measures that could impact employees. 

Two days after Wagner’s email, EdNews asked Frandsen if changes in the works included layoffs. Frandsen provided the general statement outlining changes and new initiatives that won’t be shared until mid February.