On March 13, just before the New School began its spring break, Provost Richard Kessler and Executive Vice President Fransico Pineda announced through an email to faculty that the university intends to cut 15% of its full-time faculty and staff by mid-June. This decision stems from a forecasted $48 million deficit, mainly due to a decrease in student enrollment, marking a new chapter in the university’s extensive efforts to reduce its workforce. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has described this as the nation’s largest ongoing faculty firing attempt.
In December, the university offered buyouts labeled as “voluntary separation packages” and “early retirement packages” to 40% of its full-time faculty. This was later extended to the Local 1205P and C unions in February and early March, representing clerical and professional staff. These buyouts have resulted in a 7% workforce reduction, but further cuts are necessary to align with a 20% drop in enrollment since 2021. “There’s an air of anxiety. Everybody’s waiting for the other shoe to drop,” said Carrie Hawks, an assistant professor of illustration at the New School.
The New School is looking to address its budgetary issues by merging departments and cutting programs. Parsons School of Design will merge with the College of Performing Arts, and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts will join the New School for Social Research (NSSR). As a result, colleges facing more significant program consolidations, like NSSR and Lang, will experience a disproportionate impact from the layoffs. However, Parsons, which offers most of the New School’s visual arts, design, and fashion programs, will face fewer cuts.
In a statement to Hyperallergic, a representative from the New School acknowledged the impact of declining enrollment on budgetary constraints, citing demographic shifts, international student restrictions, and other financial pressures as contributing factors. The university plans to reach a balanced budget by the 2027-28 academic year, with cuts to personnel being unavoidable given that 60% of its budget is allocated to staffing costs.
As faculty members organize to address these changes, full-time faculty like Carrie Hawks are pushing for unionization. “We aren’t sure what’s happening right now, and that’s why we’re trying to unionize,” Hawks stated. The faculty union organizing committee, formed in May 2025, is encouraging members to sign digital union authorization cards as they seek similar protections to those of part-time faculty. “We’re hoping that more full-time faculty join us in this effort,” Hawks added.
