BU announces 120 layoffs amid financial difficulties

In an email sent to the professors and staff on Monday morning, President Melissa Gilliam announced that Boston University would be laying off roughly 120 employees in the next few days.

The reductions amount to a 5% budget cut. BU will no longer post about 120 job openings in addition to the roughly 120 staff positions that will be removed.

These measures will affect about 1% of our workforce, and every attempt has been taken to minimize the number of layoffs. In the email that was provided with Boston.com, Gilliam stated, “But we know that any reduction in staffing is painful.”

In a follow-up statement, the school acknowledged the reduction, pointing to the difficult financial realities of declining federal funding, growing inflation, shifting demographics, and other factors.

Which employees will be impacted by the cuts is unclear. The affected individuals are meeting with supervisors and human resources staff, and further details will be provided after this process is finished.

According to Gilliam, BU leaders decided earlier this year that budget changes were required to counteract financial difficulties. Merit increases were temporarily halted by the institution.

According to The Daily Free Press, a student publication, since 2017, the university’s revenue has only increased at a pace of roughly 4.8% yearly, while its expenses have increased by roughly 5.6%.

According to the Free Press, the school overenrolled the graduating class of 2025 by over 800 students in order to increase revenue and relieve some financial strains. It’s unclear, though, if BU has enough housing and other resources to repeat this.

Costs for BU are also being impacted by significant projects like the $118 million endeavor to construct a new home for the Pardee School of Global Studies and the $550 million refurbishment of the Warren Towers dormitory facility.

In an effort to stop significant changes to federal money that supports important research, the university has openly supported several lawsuits against the Trump administration. BU most recently became a party to a lawsuit against the Department of Defense.

The Trump administration’s actions and other financial challenges are having a negative impact on colleges and universities across. Gilliam tried to convey optimism about BU’s future while characterizing the changes as inevitable.

For us all, today is a day of loss. This cannot be avoided. We are aware that it can take some time for our community to get used to these challenging adjustments. However, Gilliam stated in the email that it is also an essential step in guaranteeing our future. Many attempts will be made in the upcoming months to remodel and rethink the University in its most vital and efficient form.

Since 2022, Ross Cristantiello has been a general assignment news correspondent for Boston.com, covering a variety of topics including as local politics, crime, and the environment.