Faculty at New School Respond to Planned 15% Workforce Reduction
**Turmoil at The New School: Faculty and Staff Prepare for Major Layoffs Amidst Enrollment Decline**
In a disruptive move, The New School has announced plans to lay off 15% of its full-time faculty and staff by mid-June, in response to a projected $48 million deficit primarily driven by a decline in enrollment. Provost Richard Kessler and Executive Vice President Fransico Pineda informed faculty of these plans through an email sent just before the university’s spring break. This development is the latest in a series of workforce reductions, which the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) described as the largest attempted faculty firing in the nation.
Earlier, buyouts labeled as “voluntary separation packages” targeted 40% of full-time faculty and later extended to Local 1205P and C unions, representing clerical and professional staff. These efforts resulted in a 7% workforce reduction, but a more significant reduction is necessary to align with a 20% decrease in student enrollment since 2021.
“There’s an air of anxiety,” said Carrie Hawks, an assistant professor of illustration, expressing the uncertainty faced by faculty. This sentiment is echoed by Catherine Telford Keough, an assistant professor and BFA program director, who highlights the prevailing atmosphere of instability despite assurances that certain programs, particularly those at Parsons, might be “safe.”
The university’s attempt to stabilize its tuition-dependent budget model involves broad restructuring, which includes merging Parsons with the College of Performing Arts and combining the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts with the New School for Social Research (NSSR). Although the administration claims the merger aligns with interdisciplinary academic practice, the full-time faculty cuts are expected to disproportionately affect colleges like NSSR and Lang, which face significant program consolidation.
Parsons, perceived as the institution’s cornerstone, will likely experience minimal cuts, but this creates a rift among disciplines, framing investment in Parsons at the expense of others, according to Keough. This divisive strategy challenges the interconnected nature of fine arts education with broader academic inquiry.
In response to the upcoming changes, faculty members are uniting to protect their positions and ensure fair representation. Hawks is part of a union organizing committee for full-time faculty established in May 2025, advocating for collective organizing and signing union authorization cards. Despite the uncertainty, the faculty aims to bolster contractual protections for a unified voice in shaping their future at The New School.