UTICA, N.Y. — Utica University on Tuesday, July 1 announced an academic and operational restructuring that will involve faculty and staff reductions and right-sizing operations around the university’s 20 most popular programs.
Utica University President Todd Pfannestiel presented the university’s plan during a press conference.
“Utica University is acting from a position of strength to preserve and propel our founding promise, to provide a career-driven education that meets the evolving needs of students and the regional economy,” Pfannestiel contended in a statement. “We are investing in our future. Aligning our structure and programs with clear market signals and student demand ensures Utica University will be a vibrant educational and economic cornerstone of the Mohawk Valley for generations to come.”
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Since 2018, the university’s enrollment has dropped nearly 30 percent since its peak of 5,100 students. Today, the university has just over 3,600 students but is still staffed like it has 5,100, Pfannestiel said. Utica University has 556 full-time equivalent employees, down from 626 in 2021.
“We are overstaffed,” he said during the press conference. Work has begun to streamline the university’s staff, and the university has invoked article 15 of its faculty union agreement to make necessary adjustments to faculty levels. Faculty levels have remained relatively stable with 178 in 2019 and 172 in 2024, he said, resulting in the need to reduce faculty costs by $5 million annually.
Utica University will also look at its paid-time-off structure and make necessary changes there, Currently, the average employee has between 70 and 80 paid days (10-plus weeks) off annually, or roughly 30 percent of their work time, Pfannestiel noted.
From an academic standpoint, the university will sharpen its focus on its 20 most in-demand programs that 95 percent of students are enrolled in. Those programs include multiple majors in areas including health care, cybersecurity, criminal justice, business, and more. The university will look at a gradual phase-down of under-enrolled programs.
In order to demonstrate effective financial stewardship, Utica University has to look at all areas and, when necessary, make tough decisions, Pfannestiel said.
As a tuition-driven institution, it can’t justify spending more on faculty than what is needed to deliver a quality, affordable education, he said.
Cuts to sports are also on the table. It may not make the most sense to offer 25 intercollegiate sport options, especially when the college has a facility built to support just 12, he added.
Utica University has already taken a number of steps to shore up its finances including exiting the Clark City Center in downtown Utica and bringing its business program back onto the main campus. It will also close two satellite teaching locations in Florida.
The university conducted extensive stakeholder meetings in March with regional employers, faculty, and administrators.
Utica University will work with regional BOCES and school districts to connect with students as early as middle school to align academic interests with career opportunities forecasted by the state Department of Labor. The university is also exploring partnerships with other higher-education institutions to create streamlined tracks for students to achieve advanced degrees in specific disciplines.
