Barnard cuts 77 staff following Columbia’s $221 million anti-Semitism settlement with Trump admin
Barnard College in New York City announced a sweeping staff reduction, eliminating 77 full-time positions in what officials are calling a 'one-time' restructuring.
The college’s president, Laura Rosenbury, informed the campus community of the layoffs in a letter on Thursday, describing the move as 'hard but necessary.'
Barnard College in New York City announced a sweeping staff reduction, eliminating 77 full-time positions in what officials are calling a “one-time” restructuring.
The college’s president, Laura Rosenbury, informed the campus community of the layoffs in a letter on Thursday, describing the move as “hard but necessary.”
“This restructuring reflects our evolving operational needs and a strategic realignment that keeps our focus on what matters most,” Rosenbury writes. “Delivering a world-class education, sustaining our close-knit community, and protecting Barnard’s future.”
While faculty positions and student services remain unaffected, the cuts span multiple departments. To assist those affected, the college is offering severance packages that include extended health insurance and job placement support.
Union employees will receive benefits according to their contracts, while non-union staff will receive two months of fully covered health insurance, among other resources.
“This is a painful moment, as many of those leaving have helped shape the Barnard we know today,” Rosenbury adds. “We are deeply grateful to all of our colleagues for their contributions.”
The college says some new roles will be created and vacant positions closed as part of the transition.
During the 2024–2025 school year, Barnard College faced $252 million in projected debt and a $23.3 million deficit, prompting cuts to faculty and staff benefits and backlash from employees who said they were “blindsided” and excluded from financial decisions, according to The Columbia Daily Spectator.
Barnard’s restructuring follows shortly after the deal between its sister school, Columbia University, and the Trump administration. Columbia agreed to pay $221 million to settle anti-Semitism investigations that froze over $1.3 billion in federal funding.
The university denied wrongdoing but updated policies, saying the deal avoided accreditation loss and visa issues while preserving control over academics and hiring.
Barnard has regularly made headlines for anti-Israel demonstrations on its campus.
In March, anti-Israel activists occupied the Milstein Library, chanting “Free, free, Palestine” and accusing the college of supporting “genocide.” Protesters renamed the space a “Liberated Zone” and targeted administrators with “Wanted” posters and puppets, declaring, “We will not stop, we will not rest.”.
In November, Barnard faced anti-Semitism allegations after hosting UN official Francesca Albanese, who called Gaza a “concentration camp” and compared Israel to Nazi Germany.
“The fact that Albanese was invited by the chairs of the Human Rights, Economics, and Anthropology departments is proof that at Columbia and Barnard, antisemitism is not a bug but a feature of our institution” Eden Yadegar, the president of Students Supporting Israel at Columbia, said at the time.
