SNC President Comments on Recent News and Student Protest

            Thank you for the invitation from St. Norbert Times to share my thoughts on the recent walkout and the College’s current situation. Our shared value of communio—calling us to interact with each other in a spirit of mutual respect, trust, and transparency—is especially important to me and is fundamental to my commitment to our St. Norbert College community. We are in a significantly challenging moment in the College’s history, and it is essential that students engage, question, and seek collaborative solutions as part of the path forward.

            During my first eight months at St. Norbert College, our administrative leadership team has had to address the unexpected scale of the budget deficits facing the College. Through careful review and consultation, we found that the College’s financial challenges were much more significant than expected. On top of this finding is the reality that it is a tough time for all higher education. Demographic shifts, decreasing enrollments, increased competition, and inflationary pressures are dramatically affecting the sustainability of many colleges nationwide. St. Norbert College is not shielded from these pressures.

            The actual size of the projected budget deficits coupled with these external pressures, led to the unavoidable necessity of immediately addressing the College’s financial situation. This prevented me from beginning my presidency as envisioned. My time has been almost entirely focused on working with the Board of Trustees, community members, and multiple external individuals and groups to address the scale of unanticipated financial deficits through a series of actions comprising the Preserving the St. Norbert Legacy: A Shared Promise of Stewardship 2024. This initiative provides a roadmap to preserve mission, ensure educational quality, demonstrate  effective stewardship of resources, and create sustainable operating budgets. Delivering a transformative, faith-based liberal education is our sacred mission, and it continues to drive our actions. If you have not already, please visit the landing page with Frequently Asked Questions linked here.

            For context, the past several years have been financially difficult for St. Norbert College. Expenses have outpaced revenues. The College had two consecutive years of negative operating results (FY22 and FY23), and the FY24 budget projected a large deficit. During the fall of 2023, the Board of Trustees directed administrative leadership to balance the FY24 and FY25 budgets to address multiple years of negative operating performance, reduce future budget deficits, and prevent further erosion of the College’s financial position. Trustees made their expectation clear that the College live within its means and deliver balanced annual budgets each year. Based on current projections, we still have significant work to do to achieve this goal in FY26 and beyond.

            The administrative leadership team is committed to respectfully engage with our campus community. Open and honest dialogue is central to communio and our efforts to navigate these challenges together. To maintain communication, we have held town hall meetings with campus groups. We will continue to do so, along with our regular avenues of communication, updates, the landing page I referenced above, and I hope the outlet you are reading right now.

            One topic many of you may have heard about across campus is retrenchment. Retrenchment is a term used in the Faculty Handbook to address financial challenges. It is important to note that at this time, retrenchment has not been declared. Retrenchment can only be declared by the Board of Trustees, and the Faculty Handbook prescribes the process that we are following.

            We do not have a crystal ball and cannot accurately predict the specific actions that may be required moving forward. Yet, my very commitment to honesty and transparency led me to present a case for retrenchment to the President’s Cabinet who unanimously agreed with moving the process forward to the full faculty. A keen sense of mutual responsibility and accountability for the common good of the College has guided me in bringing forth what actions and measures may be contemplated given our current walk-forward budget projections. There is much our community can do to positively influence our future and I am committed to continuing to partner with faculty, staff, and students in this consequential work.

            This is a painful time for our community. Reductions are necessary and tough decisions remain. I assure everyone in our community that we are doing all we can for colleagues affected by the College's need to live within its means.

Student Voices

            Student voices are important in shaping the path forward. Despite our budget challenges, we remain unshakeable in our dedication to providing an accessible and affordable education that fosters the intellectual, spiritual, and personal development of our talented students.

            At St. Norbert College, our core tradition of the liberal arts requires community members to think critically, synthesize complex information, learn from different viewpoints, develop informed opinions, and exercise social responsibility. We encourage students to engage thoughtfully as responsible leaders within our campus and beyond.

            I was delighted to hear of a student-planned protest. I regret not being able to attend due to previously scheduled travel for meetings to engage with top donors to steward and solicit further support for the College. I recognize the significance of student voices and engagement in demonstrating our shared goals of seeking truth, fostering critical thought, understanding complexity, and promoting respect for all.

            I also want to emphasize the importance of embracing a "both-and" approach in understanding the perspectives of our students and community members while navigating the complexities of our financial challenges and internal and external stressors facing our beloved St. Norbert College.

            St. Norbert College is not merely a place of learning, but a community bound by shared values and mutual respect and support. Communio abounds here, not just in words but in our actions and dedication to nurturing right relationships with each other. The work that we do in the months ahead will ensure that the best of our culture remains intact for generations of students to come.

            We can all gain confidence and optimism by looking at the extraordinary results we have already achieved. Our community has added new academic offerings, implemented an athletics optimization plan, cultivated exciting partnerships, and achieved the herculean task of reducing the budget by $10.8 million. Resolving a 14% shortfall in a $77 million budget in less than a year is as remarkable as it has been arduous. We are on our way to making this financial situation a temporary problem.

            As we move forward, we must diversify revenue streams as well as the markets we serve. We have just announced the addition of six new majors, five new minors, one new concentration, and one new certificate program to expand the horizons of the College and provide students with innovative, relevant academic options. New offerings include robotics, game development, and supply chain management. These initiatives are part of a series of actions to position the College to better serve the demonstrated interests of students and needs of the community at this moment.

            We will continue to work to preserve the legacy of St. Norbert College and uphold our value of communio. We will track and communicate our progress. Senior leaders will continue to work with students, faculty, and staff through appropriate shared governance processes to take the steps necessary to ensure the college remains a compassionate and supportive community of learners as we respond to the needs of our time.

            It is a privilege to serve as your president and to work with each of you to secure the College’s historic legacy for the future. While this will not be easy, we can all be proud of selflessly doing the right thing for the greater good, precisely as communio guides us.

With gratitude and faith,

Laurie M. Joyner, Ph.D.