Boston University blames federal government for layoffs
At least 120 staff positions will be eliminated due to the layoff.
One percent of Boston University’s staff will be affected.
On June 7, Boston University announced that it would eliminate at least 120 staff and another 120 vacant positions due to a 5 percent budget cut starting in Fall 2026.
President Melissa Gilliam stated in a letter that the university’s decision stems from “federal actions and funding cuts,” rising inflation, and other national pressures such as declining graduate enrollment and technological disruption.
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“This is a day of loss for all of us,” Gilliam wrote. “There is no way around this. We know our community may need time to adjust to these difficult changes.”
BU attributes the layoffs to federal funding cuts and expressed uncertainty about how the university can fully realize its “core mission of teaching, learning, and research.”
The cuts will impact roughly 1 percent of BU’s workforce, including the layoff of 120 current staff and closure of another 120 vacancies, with another 20 positions experiencing a “change in schedule,” according to Gilliam.
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Gilliam attributed the cuts to a broader “national renegotiation” of higher education’s financial model and “federal actions and cuts” that impact “day-to-day positions.”
The university did not specify which federal programs were cut. However, the Daily Free Press previously reported that BU scaled back its education department “Jumpstart” program in the wake of federal cuts to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programming.
Other major institutions have recently cited budgetary stress tied to changes in federal education spending, particularly on DEI programming. Earlier this year, Ohio State University lost $29 million due to federal DEI cuts.
Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education recently closed its DEI office and laid off its chief diversity officer.
In her letter to faculty and staff, Gilliam explained that the university has attempted to make “every effort” possible in order to minimize the number of layoffs that it will have to make.
Individuals affected by these cuts will meet with Human Resources Department to review changes in their department. The university will provide “separation packages” and “career transitional services” through the Faculty & Staff Assistance Office.
Campus Reform has reached out to Boston University and President Gilliam for comment but did not receive a response as of publication.
