An additional 20 full-time faculty members at the college were laid off Tuesday, June 17, abruptly informed during virtual meetings that their positions had been eliminated — effective Aug. 15.
The affected faculty are in the schools of Audio and Music, Business and Entrepreneurship, Communication and Culture, Design and Visual Arts, including 18 faculty with tenure appointments and two teaching-track.
Half of those laid off were from the School of Communication and Culture.
The notifications followed a brief email sent the day before, instructing the impacted faculty to attend Microsoft Teams meetings with the interim or senior associate provost and their school director.
The Chronicle has learned the names of some of the faculty who were laid off but is not disclosing them without the consent of faculty or unless the faculty talk publicly about their dismissal.
In an email to the campus community, newly named Interim Provost Suzanne McBride cited the college’s new program array that takes effect at the start of the 2025-26 academic year as the reason for the layoffs and said that “This was an extremely painful decision to make, and I am deeply grateful for our departing faculty members’ dedicated service to the college and for having enriched the Columbia community in countless ways.”
The layoffs — the second such round in six months — come as the college continues to confront a mounting budget shortfall and shrinking enrollment. In January, the college laid off 23 full-time faculty members, including nine teaching-track faculty and 14 faculty with tenure appointments.
Many of the laid-off faculty came from programs that were merged or eliminated when the college consolidated its academic offerings in order to save an estimated $5 million over two years. The college will now offer 33 undergraduate and seven graduate degrees.
The college also reduced the number of required “general ed” courses that students have to take in what Columbia refers to as the core. Beginning Fall 2024, students only have to take 30 credits in the core instead of 42.
The faculty who teach in the core were mostly spared in the first round of cuts but not in the second.
“Many of these separations come in areas that provide general education and stem from Columbia adapting graduation requirements to allow students to take more classes in their majors or minors,” Lambrini Lukidis, associate vice president of Strategic Communications and External Relations, said in a statement provided to the Chronicle. “We recognize the impact this has on our colleagues and express sincere appreciation for their dedication and contributions to our community throughout the years.”
Some of the laid off faculty have taught at Columbia for decades.
Ann Hetzel Gunkel, an associate professor who taught in the cultural studies program, posted on Instagram that she had been “fired without cause” after 27 years.
“If you are in academia, you already know that this doesn’t merely end my job at CCC,” she wrote in the lengthy post. “It ends my career because there are NO jobs in academia to apply to if you are a tenured professor in mid to late career.”
She referred to herself as “a casualty of Columbia College Chicago’s continuing (and seemingly perpetual) financial exigency” and wrote about her passion for her vocation and how much she loved teaching.
Sean Andrews, an associate professor in the School of Communication and Culture and former Faculty Senate president, shared in a public post on Facebook that he had been laid off.
“There is never a great time to get the letter terminating your career, but I can’t decide if it is better or worse to get it while you are heading out of town on vacation,” he wrote. “Let me know if you know anyone who needs an associate professor who also makes pretty good tacos.”
Andrews has been at the college since 2009 and earned tenure 10 years ago, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The college’s Board of Trustees voted last May to accept former President Kwang-Wu Kim’s recommendation that Columbia had met the conditions for “adverse circumstances.” This allows the college to lay off full-time faculty, even those with tenure.
The summer layoffs seemed to take faculty by surprise, taking place a few weeks before Columbia’s new President and CEO Shantay Bolton will assume the top leadership position at the college.
During a Faculty Senate meeting in February, former Senior Vice President and Provost Marcella David said that additional faculty layoffs could be possible, but that there were no “fixed plans” for lay-offs in the short-term.
Just about four months later, the additional full-time faculty members were laid off a few weeks after the college announced that David was no longer provost and would leave the college on June 2.
In the first round of this year’s layoffs, teaching-track faculty with three or more years in their positions received salary and healthcare benefits until the Fall 2025 semester while impacted tenured faculty were compensated for the 2025–26 academic year and retained healthcare benefits through May 2026.
This time, laid off faculty members will receive the same severance and benefits following the same timeline. But they won’t be teaching their assigned courses in the Fall 2025 semester.
In announcing the layoffs, the college did not say who would teach their classes but assured that they “will continue to deliver instruction in the disciplines that have been home to the impacted faculty members.” As of June 17, their names were still listed on the fall courses.
Faculty members who were let go were told they can challenge the decision under the college’s Statement of Policy.
The college also laid off 70 staff members in May of 2024, including four therapists in the Counseling Center, four librarians, two academic advisors and nine staff in the tutoring center. Six people who work in student financial aid also lost their jobs.
No staff were laid off in this round of cuts.
Student Government Association President Jenna Davis said that more faculty layoffs will affect student experience at the college.
“Whether it is losing a professor students know and love or missing the opportunity to make that connection with a professor,” Davis said. “They are so critical to our education, so I hope moving forward Columbia can recognize that students value our professors greatly.”
Karla Fuller, newly elected Faculty Senate president and professor in the School of Film and Television, acknowledged the emotional and professional toll all of the layoffs have taken.
“We recognize the uncertainty that comes with such a decision.” Fuller said. “We also affirm our commitment to supporting our faculty, students and staff as we navigate the consequences together.”
Fuller also thanked those who were laid off for their years of service and dedication.
“You leave behind a legacy of excellence that will not be forgotten,” Fuller said.
Additional reporting by Allison Shelton
Copy edited by Emma Jolly
