The University has not considered layoffs, even as some universities downsize staff amid President Donald Trump’s cuts to federal funding, Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes told the Staff Council on Tuesday.
Staff Council President Kim Fulmer and Vice President Mindy Galván moderated a conversation with Provost Chris Bracey and Fernandes while Staff Council members asked the officials questions about institutional neutrality, the Medical Faculty Associates, student visas and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Staff at the meeting questioned officials on whether the University is preparing for mass firings, to which Fernandes replied that there are no current discussions about layoffs and that avoiding them remains a “priority” for officials.
Fernandes said the “only” policy officials have implemented regarding staffing at the University was the position management review process, which added an extra “level of review” by University leadership to all faculty and staff hiring and promotions in late February. The new process aims to ensure GW stays within its budget to protect GW’s “limited” resources amid Trump’s recent executive actions that affect federal funding for higher education institutions, officials said in Feburary.
More than 10 universities have laid off staff and frozen hiring this year following Trump’s cuts to federal funding in the form of federal contracts and research grants, including the University of Pittsburgh, one of GW’s 12 peer schools.
“We may have to make some of those difficult decisions. We’ve not made that yet,” Fernandes said. “Our plan, whatever we put in place, is going to be to try to avoid that. That is our goal.”
Bracey also said he hasn’t “heard anything” regarding potential layoffs at the University.
Katherine Puskarz, a Staff Council member from the Milken Institute School of Public Health, asked if implementing the position review process “stabilized” the University’s budget like officials believed it would.
Fernandes said it was “too early” to evaluate the financial impacts of the process because it was implemented in March. He said the number of positions submitted to the committee for review have decreased since the implementation of the process last month, though the “majority” of positions submitted are being approved.
Ben Deem, the Staff Council’s information technology representative, said staff are “concerned” about a potential return to office mandate and the hybrid and remote work policies that he’s heard the University is currently considering. He asked at what level would these changes be made, if the Staff Council would be involved in decisions making and if the University would provide support to “defray” the cost of commuting to GW.
Fernandes said hybrid and remote work policies have not changed but will be looked at over the summer in collaboration with the Staff Council and other University groups to decide the best structure going forward in order to meet the “academic mission” and enhance the student experience.
“We are currently reviewing the policy and looking at it. We haven’t made any decisions in terms of what the plan is going to be going forward,” Fernandes said.
Bracey said there has been “lots of disagreement” among universities and their leaders about the “appropriate strategy” surrounding work formats, but GW wants to “optimize” the support staff have and ensure a positive student experience to get “optimal results.” He said the University shouldn’t be “struggling to achieve” administrative objectives, and if they need more people in person to achieve “administration aspirations,” the University should strive to implement such a policy to help GW become a “more excellent” University.
“When you ask students to pay close to $100,000 in tuition per year in terms of cost of attendance, we have to have the staff on hand to provide the kind of support that that kind of financial commitment deserves,” Bracey said.
Allene David, the Staff Council’s staff development and recognition chair, asked Fernandes and Bracey about what the University is doing to support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives amid federal mandates that eliminate DEI programs.
Bracey said there is “a lot of misinformation” about what universities are allowed and not allowed to do regarding DEI policies, but his background as a civil rights lawyer and constitutional law professor makes it “easier” to navigate the issue and assist University President Ellen Granberg when navigating decisions on DEI initiatives.
“The reality is, there is nothing illegal about diversity,” Bracey said. “There is nothing illegal about promoting inclusivity.”
Bracey said it’s “harder to defend” DEI policies when they involve treating people differently based on certain classifications, like race or gender, because it needs to be “justified” by the University. He said the University has made adjustments to its DEI practices after a review of its policies revealed that some of them “ran up against” federal law.
Bracey did not specify what adjustments were made to the University’s DEI practices.
Officials declined to comment last month after GW Law shut down its diversity, equity and inclusion website sometime after December 2024.
“Because we are a private university, we enjoy a certain amount of flexibility, and as long as we’re compliant with prevailing federal law, we’re okay,” Bracey said.
Bracey said the National Science Foundation on Tuesday issued guidance to universities that they are no longer prioritizing DEI and disinformation-focused research. He said three principal investigators at GW lost their NSF grant funding since the announcement was issued on Friday.
Patricia Hernandez, a faculty senator and biology professor, said at a Faculty Senate meeting earlier this month that she received a “disturbing” email stating that researchers must submit their NSF grants proposals earlier than normal for reviewers to identify “naughty words,” like “woman” and “minority.” She said federal agencies may flag these words as part of Trump’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion orders.
Trisha Greenstein, chair of the Staff Council’s Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, asked officials for more information about the revocation of faculty, staff and student visas, following a recent University update announcing that a “small” number of international students at GW had their visas terminated by federal agencies.
Bracey said there are “around five” current students who have experienced “autotermination” or “some sort” of visa cancellation, and five graduated students who have been affected.
“The number of students that are being impacted at GW has been, thankfully, relatively small and my understanding is that most of those students who have been impacted have been able to secure counsel who are representing them in their efforts, against the State Department in that regard,” Bracey said.
Courtney Frost, the Staff Council’s staff experience chair, asked why it’s “essential” for GW to continue funding the Medical Faculty Associates — a physician-led academic medical center for the School of Medicine & Health Sciences — despite significant annual losses, while schools across the University face “substantial” budget cuts. The MFA lost $48 million in the first half of fiscal year 2025 and $107 million last fiscal year.
Fernandes said the University is looking into addressing the challenges with the MFA, and “everybody else” at the University has the “same question.” He said officials’ goal is “derisking” the University from “its path” of MFA financial losses while understanding the MFA’s importance to GW’s medical enterprise.
“A lot of that work is happening right now, and certainly we’ll have more to say about that in the near future,” Fernandes said.
Tuesday’s meeting marked the first time Bracey has engaged with the Staff Council since its establishment in 2023, Fulmer said at a Staff Council meeting earlier this month.
