Latest Layoffs Deepen Worries About Future of St. Francis College
St. Francis College, a Catholic institution that’s been in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn for 166 years, fired around 17 employees including academic advisors, registrar workers, and librarians last week.
It’s the latest in a series of drastic cost-saving measures implemented by college President Tim Cecere that current and former employees and students told THE CITY are turning a beacon for first-generation college students from Brooklyn into a shell of itself, catering to international graduate students who are rarely on campus.
The layoffs, representing about a quarter of the school’s already dwindling staff, are the latest blow under the leadership of President Tim Cecere, a former human resources professional on the board of trustees, who had no experience in higher education before joining the school as chief operating officer in 2022, later becoming interim president in March of 2023. He was officially named the storied institution’s 20th president a year later.
His tenure as president began with the abrupt end of the school’s Division I athletics department — which includes the city’s oldest basketball program, a charter member of the NCAA — and the sale of the school’s campus in tony Brooklyn Heights.
That was followed by widespread layoffs, turnover, and two votes of no confidence by faculty, according to internal documents reviewed by THE CITY.
Many in the St. Francis community who spoke with THE CITY lamented what they described as the downward spiral of the historic Brooklyn institution, which for decades was a beacon for local college students seeking an affordable alternative to CUNY.
"It was like the Harvard of Brooklyn," said one fired staffer, who’d also attended the university as a student. "If you went to Saint Francis, that meant your life had elevated. You’re gonna do something with yourself and your people are not gonna have to worry about you."
But, the former staffer went on, "Now I have a kid and I would never send my kid to that school."
‘Small College of Big Dreams’
St. Francis was founded in 1859 by Franciscan friars who had immigrated from Ireland, opening it as the first private school in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Two decades later it expanded to offer university degrees.
For the past century, the university has prided itself on being one of the most affordable private colleges in the state, and a "small college of big dreams" attracting first-generation college students.
"It was really comforting to see that SFC was like a really small campus," said Maryam Shuaib, 22, a Palestinian-American who grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, and graduated last spring with a degree in political science. When deciding between CUNY colleges and St. Francis back in 2020, she picked the latter because of the low student-teacher ratio and the full scholarship she’d been offered.
"I’d essentially be going to college for free for the next four years," she said.
But after a year of remote learning, the gradual return to campus in 2021 was nothing like Shuaib had pictured it. Stories from upperclassmen solidified her understanding that post-COVID, St. Francis was simply not the same place it had been.
Failing Math
Like many higher education institutions, St. Francis has struggled to stay afloat facing ballooning costs and flat revenues. A 2023 audit ordered by the federal government found "substantial doubt about the College’s ability to continue."
Cecere and other administrators took drastic cost-cutting measures that year, including laying off around 50 employees, abruptly closing the entire athletics department, and selling a historic Brooklyn Heights building, where the school had been located for more than a century. Classes moved to a nearby office building on Livingston Street where the college is renting out three floors.
‘An Inhospitable Environment’
Full-time faculty members have conducted two no confidence votes in two years, raising their concerns about layoffs and staff turnover, and about whether St. Francis would be able to maintain its accreditation when it comes up for review by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education next year.
A spokesperson for the Middle States Commission, which accredits schools based on five principles including the centrality of the student experience, and "Emphasis on Data and Evidence-based Decision-making," didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The current work environment and skeleton staff will create an inhospitable environment for students, who are at the core of our mission," reads a letter full-time faculty sent to senior management in June 2023, after 68% of the 60 full-time faculty members voted they had no confidence in Cecere, who at the time was the acting president. That followed the layoffs of 47 staffers and the end of the athletics program.
Conclusion
The latest layoffs at St. Francis College have deepened concerns about the institution’s future. With a shrinking staff, declining enrollment, and a shift towards international graduate students, many are questioning whether the college will be able to maintain its accreditation and provide a quality education to its students.
FAQs
Q: What is the current enrollment at St. Francis College?
A: The college has around 1,900 undergraduate students and over 1,700 graduate students.
Q: What is the reason for the layoffs?
A: The college is implementing cost-saving measures to address declining enrollment and flat revenues.
Q: What is the future of St. Francis College?
A: The college is committed to providing a high-quality education to its students and is working to address the concerns raised by faculty and staff.
Q: Will the college be able to maintain its accreditation?
A: The college is working to maintain its accreditation and is committed to providing a quality education to its students.
