LACROSSE, Wis. –Viterbo University has issued pink slips to 27 employees partly because enrollment losses have eroded revenue. The layoffs begin in July and involve 3% of Viterbo’s staff. The university presudent, Rick Trietley, said enrollment has hit a five-year low. No academic programs will be eliminated, Trietly said. Layoffs, he noted, include two top-level administrators. The budget issue was exacerbated by falling student retention, reduced student revenue, higher tuition discounts, and higher student services costs.
Verbatim
Trietley: “Like many small private higher education institutions, Viterbo is facing enrollment challenges and escalating operational and personnel costs in the wake of the pandemic and ongoing decline of graduating high school seniors.”
Trietley. President since 2022. Since 2019, enrolment off 12.7%, from 2,551 to 2,226.