Portland State University lays off nearly 100 faculty members amid declining enrollment

Portland State University (PSU) has issued potential layoff notices to nearly 100 faculty members amid declining enrollment and an $18 million budget deficit. The layoff notices were distributed just three weeks into the start of the new school year, and dozens more are expected to be issued by mid-December. This comes after PSU made national news in the spring for allowing Antifa and students to seize and occupy its library in protest of the conflict in Gaza, causing nearly $1 million in damage.

The layoffs mostly apply to nontenured faculty members who will be terminated at the end of the academic school year, PSU spokesperson Christina Dyrness Williams told Axios. The university is required to give termination notices six months in advance, as per an agreement with the teachers union. Emily Ford, who represents PSU's chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), expects the majority of its 350 nontenured members will receive layoff notices.

Portland State University, the largest public college in the city, has struggled to increase enrollment to pre-pandemic levels. Only 3,247 new undergraduate students enrolled in courses this quarter, which is a 23 percent decrease from 4,208 new students in 2021, data shows. Total enrollment dropped 19 percent between 2019 and 2023. This year has seen a slight increase in total enrollment but not enough to make a net positive on the university's $18 million budget deficit. Student tuition is the primary source of funding for educational programs at public universities, and enrollment declines result in colleges depending on state and federal funding to cover expenses.

During a Sept. 27 board of trustees meeting, PSU President Ann Cudd said: "I have no doubt that this year will be a challenging one for PSU, as we get serious about financial sustainability and roll up our sleeves to become the institution that the future needs us to be."

PSU said it hoped ongoing renovations made to the Keller Auditorium would attract more students to the liberal arts leftwing college. "Portland's recovery and the development of a world-class performing arts and culture center on our downtown campus is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the city and for PSU," Dryness Williams said.

However, not everyone believes the project would make a lasting impact, especially the teachers union, with Emily Ford stating that "concrete and steel won't do anything for Portland State if there's nobody left to provide the mission-critical services of the university, which is teaching and learning."

The enrollment may be impacted by political activities on campus. Portland State University is notorious for its leftwing student-led protests, which often attract outside community members. In May, Portland Police arrested more than 30 far-left agitators involved in the violent library seizure, where Antifa and a few students occupied and damaged the facility on behalf of Gaza. The occupation cost the university nearly $1 million in damage, and the library had to be shut down for the duration of the school year.

Students and community members reported that they were threatened and assaulted by those involved in the occupation. Portland Police arrested dozens of agitators, including Portland Antifa ringleader and convicted felon Alissa Azar, during an extensive operation to clear out the library. Furthermore, Antifa rioters prevented an ambulance from providing medical care to the campus police chief who had suffered a medical emergency while responding to the direct action.

The criminal jury trials for these cases are expected to begin in November.