Concordia University Wisconsin will lay off 24 employees at its Mequon campus, according to a federal WARN Notice filed with the state Department of Workforce Development.
The university anticipates the terminations will begin on May 31, according to a letter sent to Mequon Mayor Andrew Nerbun and Ozaukee County Board Chairman Lee Schlenvogt.
These staff reductions are not a surprise.
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Concordia President Erik Ankerber emailed staff and students in February saying the university’s campuses in Mequon and in Ann Arbor, Michigan, must reduce costs to operate sustainably.
Both universities are a part of the Concordia University System, a nationwide network of colleges and universities that are run independently but are all affiliated with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The two campuses merged in 2013 when Ann Arbor “could not obtain needed cash flow.”
The announcement comes at a time when many small liberal arts colleges across the country face similar financial challenges due to declining enrollment, growing costs of higher education and decreased financial support.
Wisconsin’s public universities have been struggling with the same issues. That’s lead to budget cuts at some Universities of Wisconsin schools, and the shuttering of some two-year campuses.
The Rev. John Berg, who chairs the Concordia’s Board of Regents, posted a video online March 1, reiterating there would be job cuts. He also said there was a committee exploring the idea of separating the two campuses.
Enrollment has grown on average over the last decade. The suburban Milwaukee campus enrolled 6,274 students during the 2022-23 school year, compared to 1,359 students in Ann Arbor. Since 2013, enrollment at the Michigan campus has more than doubled.
The announcement comes after university staff completed a financial review on Feb. 1. Concordia’s tax forms show the school has run a deficit in five of the last six years, ranging from $2 million to $6.3 million.
The Mequon campus saw a new group of transfer students when nearby Cardinal Stritch University closed in 2023 due to enrollment declines and fiscal constraints. Concordia offered direct admissions to affected undergraduate students and equal or lower tuition costs to graduate students.
Editor’s note: WPR’s Margaret Faust contributed to this report.
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