SEATTLE — Seattle Pacific University will downsize by 40% due to a declining enrollment.
Though final decisions are still being made, a statement from the university says programs and faculty positions will be reduced.
During the 2022-23 academic year, university leadership and faculty have been conducting an academic program review. The goal is to ensure "that our program portfolio and curricula match the demand for specific majors and size of our study body," a statement from the school reads. It's part of a process to "resize the university's budget to match the demand for specific majors as well as current and projected future enrollment and revenue."
Students in any undergraduate major or graduate program identified for being cut will receive assistance to ensure they can complete the major or program or "smoothly transition to another major/program of their choosing" at Seattle Pacific University, according to the statement.
The statement does not go into detail as to why enrollment has declined.
Hiring policy called into question
The downsizing of the university comes after controversy surrounding the Christian school's hiring policy.
In September of 2022, a group of students, faculty and staff at the university sued leaders of the board of trustees for refusing to change the policy barring people in same-sex relationships from full-time jobs at SPU. The 16 plaintiffs say the trustees’ stance is a breach of their fiduciary duties that threatens to harm SPU’s reputation, worsen enrollment difficulties and possibly jeopardize its future.
In response, the office of state Attorney General Bob Ferguson began investigating the university over the hiring policy.
The university sued to stop the investigation, but a federal judge dismissed it.
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