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Just when you think university finances might be stabilizing -- with the state pumping more money in to MnSCU this year -- 

 has announced a $4.9 million budget deficit.

And that means the university will offer early retirement to faculty members, 

(Clarification: MSU-Moorhead spokesman David Wahlberg told me the university notified about 100 faculty that they're eligible for early retirement, but was hoping for about 35 acceptances. That's out of a faculty pool of about 400 full- and part-time professors.)

Campus officials say the budget gap is caused by a decline in enrollment -- 566 students between 2010 and 2013.  The latest enrollment figure is about 8,770, according to the MnSCU website, putting that drop at about 6 percent.

(That's just a rough estimate, because that current enrollment figure may be a bit off. MnSCU CFO Laura King told me earlier this month that fall enrollment is down about 2 percent from last year's.)

I spoke with Russ Stanton, director of government relations for the Inter Faculty Organization, the union representing MnSCU university professors.

He said enrollment is dropping in part because of the improved economy. A lot of the students who went to the university during the recession, he said, have since joined the workforce.

Stanton said he has heard of enrollment drops at a few other campuses, but hasn't heard of other early-retirement offers:

I'm trying to get some more numbers from the Inter Faculty Organization.

Education News

On Campus Blog

Alex Friedrich

Author

Just when you think university finances might be stabilizing — with the state pumping more money in to MnSCU this year — Minnesota State University – Moorhead has announced a $4.9 million budget deficit. And that means the university will offer early retirement to faculty members, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reports. (Clarification: MSU-Moorhead spokesman David 

Just when you think university finances might be stabilizing — with the state pumping more money in to MnSCU this year — Minnesota State University – Moorhead has announced a $4.9 million budget deficit. And that means the university will offer early retirement to faculty members, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reports. (Clarification: MSU-Moorhead spokesman David Read more →


MSU-Moorhead offers early retirement to dozens of faculty

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