Siena Heights University cuts 20 jobs under restructuring plan

A restructuring shakeup at Siena Heights University will leave at least 20 faculty and staff without jobs just days before the Christmas holiday. 
Last week faculty in the departments of art, theatre, psychology, math and more were notified that in 21 days they would no longer be employed by the university. On December 2, SHU alumni received a letter advising them of a change in operations. 
“We are stepping forward into a sensitive time in the history of Siena Heights. The university is making structural changes in its operations to continue delivering a relevant quality education for its students. The changes we are announcing are consistent with the goals of our Strategic Plan but have resulted in the layoff of several faculty and staff,” the letter read. 
The communication from Sr. Peg Albert, OP, Ph.D., university president, praised alumni and donors for their generosity in contributing to the university for scholarships and capital projects, but said that like many smaller liberal arts universities, Siena Heights is facing increasing costs and a challenging student enrollment environment. 
“Most of these trends are beyond our control. The size of our faculty and staff must align with the number of students enrolled,” the letter stated. “Rather than focus on the numbers of faculty and staff or dollars saved, we would rather express our sincere empathy and caring for the campus members who have been directly impacted by these structural changes.
“We must be realistic with the challenges ahead in higher education and change must happen now. Siena Heights has been an educational asset to many for 103 years, and our commitment is to overcome any challenges in the future, whatever that challenge may be,” the letter continued.
Tecumseh resident Dr. Robert Gordon is a retired Siena Heights administrator and faculty member. He served as director of academic advising and assistant professor of humanities, assistant dean of the college of humanities and chair of the general studies division. He was named dean of the college in 1990 as well as provost and gained the status of professor of education. From 1996-2006 he served as the dean of the graduate college, and from 2006 until his retirement in 2015 he held the title of library director as well as professor. He was employed at Siena Heights for 37 years. 
Gordon said that after the faculty and staff, cuts the library will be reduced to one staff person and no reference librarian; the math department will have only two newer full-time faculty; philosophy will have no full-time faculty. Cuts in the art department eliminated several faculty members, leaving the department with just two full-time faculty, and at least one longtime psychology professor has been terminated. Several other SHU positions have been cut. 
“I don’t know the size of the budget deficit, but it must be significant. Siena needs to right size but the abrupt manner more than twenty people will be terminated is inexcusable,” Gordon said. “The faculty and staff who were not terminated are furious. So too, are alums. It would have been far more humane to tell people they would be terminated at the end of the winter semester so they could search for alternative employment. I am told the new provost has already received a letter of no confidence.”
Deb Carter was employed at Siena beginning in 1982 and was dean of the College for Professional Studies from 2000 to 2015. “The current crisis is due to a failure of leadership, resulting in a loss of enrollment,” Carter said. “I am appalled, furious, and heartbroken over the 20 faculty and staff who were fired on November 30 and December 1.” She said 14 faculty and six staff members were let go. “People who are not 65 are scrambling to get insurance. Siena Heights University is an ‘at will employer,’ so apparently they can fire faculty in the middle of their nine-month contracts,” said Carter.
Social media posts on the topic received hundreds of comments in support of terminated faculty members. “I, along with several other long-time recently retired faculty, am outraged,” Gordon wrote on one post. “Private not for profit higher ed is in crisis and it’s going to get worse because of the decreasing number of high school graduates. But Siena’s board allowed the situation to fester. Selective, humane cuts and hiring freezes should have been happening for years to help Siena right size. In addition to the pain and financial hardships being experienced by the faculty who have been terminated Siena will have to deal with the demoralized faculty who remain, an eviscerated curriculum, and a severely damaged reputation.
“This is shameful,” he continued. “The group of retired faculty (well over 100 years of service) I referenced feel like our legacy to Siena has been stolen.”
The Herald contacted the university about the move and was advised that there would be no comment on human resources issues. An SHU press release was almost identical to the letter sent to alumni, with the addition of a sentence that assured that “The University’s current degrees, programs and major offerings remain unchanged.”
Siena Heights University is a Catholic university founded and sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. The university is headquartered in Adrian, with degree completion centers in Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Dearborn, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Monroe, Southfield and online.