Emerson College has laid off employees amid declining enrollment, a move attributed to recent protests and negative press that have shaken the institution’s reputation.
Emerson College laid off 10 employees in response to a projected decline in enrollment, according to an email sent on Tuesday. Emerson, widely known for its Emerson College Polling, has traditionally attracted left-leaning students with strong political interests. However, the college's polling accuracy has faced criticism, and it appears the institution was unprepared for the impact on its reputation and enrollment.
"College leadership has made the difficult decision to eliminate ten staff positions to help us realize our necessary cost savings," wrote President Jay M. Bernhardt, the college’s provost, and chief finance officer in the email. "We are grateful for the contributions these dedicated staff members have made to the College, and we have made arrangements to support them in this transition." Emerson officials emphasized that efforts were made to manage finances to "minimize the number of eliminated positions and programs."
The Boston Globe first reported on the layoffs, noting that a college spokeswoman said the cuts affected "multiple areas and impacted a variety of supplemental programs and functions." Some of the layoffs are immediate, while others will be phased in according to college policies and bargaining agreements.
The layoffs followed a statement from Bernhardt in June, where he attributed the enrollment decline to "negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests" that occurred after anti-Israel protests on campus last spring.
"We attribute this reduction to multiple factors, including national enrollment trends away from smaller private institutions, an enrollment deposit delay in response to the new FAFSA rollout, student protests targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests," Bernhardt explained in June. After the deposit deadline, the college's freshman class enrollment was "significantly below" expectations.
In light of these challenges, Emerson will reportedly need to limit hiring for the upcoming year.
Emerson was among several colleges across the country affected by protests related to the Gaza conflict. In April, Boston police arrested 108 demonstrators at Emerson, with four officers injured during clashes with anti-Israel protesters. A police spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that three officers sustained minor injuries, while one officer was more seriously injured. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
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