Columbia laid off its former interim president and two other senior administrators as it moves to close a $40 million budget deficit.
Jerry Tarrer, who was interim president following President Kwang-Wu Kim’s departure in July 2024, directly reported to President and CEO Shantay Bolton. He had been at the college since 2017, and his wife, Gloria Tarrer, was an alum.
Laurent Pernot, who was Kim’s chief of staff for eight years, also was laid off. Bolton, who started at Columbia in July, had made him vice president of strategic partnerships and civic engagement after she brought in her own chief of staff, Adriel A. Hilton.
Jeffrey Reuter, who served as associate vice president of budget, planning and analysis since 2019, was the third administrator who lost his job since last week, the Chronicle has learned.
The college quietly removed their names from the website on Tuesday, March 31, the same day Bolton sent an email outlining steps to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the college, including reductions and realignment of the executive and management structure.
In the email, Bolton said the college is facing “real financial pressures” and would begin implementing changes immediately. She did not name the administrators who were laid off.
The college did not respond to questions from the Chronicle about severance for the laid-off administrators or how much money the cuts would save.
“Like many institutions nationwide, the college is navigating financial pressures and is implementing measured, strategic actions to align resources with its core mission,” according to a statement provided to the Chronicle. “While some of these actions involve organizational and leadership transitions, our focus remains on minimizing disruption to students and maintaining a strong academic experience.”
Karla Fuller, president of the Faculty Senate, told the Chronicle in an email that she had “no details to add” to the president’s message and expects more information to be shared in the coming days.
Jenna Davis, president of the Student Government Association, said the cuts were now reaching senior leadership.
“In this constant state of change, the administration has realized that cuts need to happen higher up to keep student success in mind at the academic level,” she told the Chronicle.
These were the first senior administrators laid off since the college began cost-cutting measures to begin closing its $40 million budget deficit.
Since January 2025, the college has laid off 48 full-time faculty members, including 32 tenured faculty. The year before, the college laid off 70 staff members across the college, as the Chronicle previously reported.
Faculty had pressed the administration in recent meetings about when the cuts would reach the upper administration.
At a February town hall, Interim Senior Vice President and Provost Suzanne McBride said administrative cuts were possible as the college works to address its budget deficit.
McBride said no further faculty layoffs were currently planned although she did not rule them out if enrollment continued to decline.
Since becoming president, Bolton has reshaped her leadership team, appointing Emmanuel Lalande as senior vice president of enrollment strategy and student success and making Hilton vice president of institutional strategy and chief of staff.
She also brought on several new administrators in January, including Maryann Schaefer as assistant vice president for admissions, Aubrie J. Willaert as vice president for development and alumni engagement and Jeffrey Bethke as interim chief financial officer.
Last week, the college announced Adam Weiss would be vice president of legal affairs and general counsel after previously serving in the role on an interim basis.
At the same time, the college has yet to reveal the results of its national provost search, despite previously indicating a decision would be made by spring break, which was last week.
The layoffs are part of a broader restructuring outlined in Bolton’s March 31 email to faculty and staff, which also includes a hiring freeze for nonessential administrative positions and further spending cuts.
Implementation will continue through the fiscal year ending Aug. 31 with some extending into the following year, she said.
“This work is about stewardship, but it is also about responsibility to our students and care for our community,” Bolton said in the email. “Every decision is being made with thoughtful consideration of input received through shared governance for both our present circumstances and our shared future.”
At least one other senior administrator, Kathie Koch, the college’s chief information officer since 2018, also left the college in March. Koch is now an executive delivery consultant for Moran Technology Consulting, according to her LinkedIn. Her name also was removed from the website on Tuesday.
“Obviously, we have seen a lot of layoffs in the past year. It is never easy seeing anyone from our Columbia community be let go,” Davis said. “Regardless of how hard it is to see, I hope this decision was made with student success in mind.”
Copy edited by Katie Peters
Resumen en español
Columbia ha despedido a su anterior presidente interino Jerry Tarrer y a otros dos administradores sénior, Laurent Pernot y Jeffrey Reuter, en un intento de cerrar el déficit de 40 millones de dólares.
La universidad retiró discretamente sus nombres de la página web el martes 31 de marzo. El mismo día, la presidenta Shantay Bolton envió un correo electrónico detallando los pasos siguientes para asegurar la sostenibilidad de la universidad, incluyendo reducciones y reajustes de la estructura ejecutiva de gestión.
En el correo electrónico, Bolton dijo que la universidad está enfrentando una “grave presión financiera”, y que empezaron a implementar cambios de inmediato. Ella no dijo quiénes eran los administradores sénior que fueron despedidos.
Resumen por Guadalupe Loza-Sanchez
Editado por Brandon Anaya
