Western Illinois University announced today it will lay off 89 more faculty members and staff in a second round of job cuts as the school tries to close a budget deficit amid declining enrollment.
The announcement brings the total layoffs to 124 faculty and staff at the university, which announced in July it would be eliminating 35 positions to help close a $22 million deficit.
"In order to address financial stability, we must recognize that our institution, like so many others across the country, must be the right size and the right shape to serve this number of students,” WIU interim president Kristi Mindrup said in a written statement. “I want to acknowledge the gravity of these decisions and the profound impact they will have on our dedicated faculty and staff, and the impact personnel reductions have on our Macomb and Quad Cities communities.”
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