GW is considering consolidating classes, cutting programs and laying off faculty and staff in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, which has faced declining enrollment over the last decade, according to a Monday announcement and emails sent to faculty.
A statement outgoing Provost Chris Bracey shared with the GSEHD community and posted online Monday indicates that non-tenure faculty and staff could see “potential changes” to their job statuses as officials implement “organizational recommendations” to address the school’s declining enrollment. GSEHD has faced years of financial, operational and enrollment struggles, which they have previously tried to fight through a variety of initiatives, including the development of a strategic plan in 2014 aimed at attracting more students and their acceptance of a $2.4 million grant in April aimed at improving civic engagement in public schools.
The statement also asserts that GSEHD will “evaluate the number of staff” at the school in the context of their “forthcoming administrative adjustments.”
Officials will work with GSEHD on “careful implementation” of the recommendations listed in the statement, which include combining courses and restructuring the curriculum to create larger classes with “sufficient” enrollment, and reorganizing administrative duties and responsibilities, according to the statement. The statement asserts that GW has not ruled out closing various programs within GSEHD, but those decisions have “not yet” been made as officials continue to evaluate enrollment.
The announcement comes after officials notified the community in late April that they planned to cut GW’s fiscal year 2026 total expense budget by 3 percent to address a “structural deficit” after expenses surpassed revenue in recent years. Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes later said at the May Faculty Senate meeting that University-wide budget cuts are necessary to avoid layoffs after senators questioned officials on the decision to reduce the FY 2026 budget and freeze merit-based salary increases.
Fernandes also told the Staff Council in April that officials were not considering layoffs.
Bracey’s email to GSEHD community members says that they are providing the notice now due to the requirements of the Faculty Code, which bounds officials to inform faculty who have spent two or more academic years at the University by June 30 if their contract won’t be renewed.
GSEHD’s matriculation rates have decreased by more than 500 students in the last decade, dropping from 1,479 in 2014 to 958 in 2024. Its enrollment has receded by nearly 29 percent since 2020, when it had 1,341 students, according to enrollment data. Graduate tuition for on-campus GSEHD programs is $1,960 per credit hour.
The announcement comes as GSEHD Academic Dean Lionel Howard prepares to begin his tenure as the school’s interim dean on July 1 after current Dean Michael Feuer’s departure from the role after 15 years. Feuer said in May that limited resources and funding for GSEHD during his tenure led to “choppy waters” for the school, which has kept them from improving the facilities, raising salaries and boosting financial aid for students.
Faculty pay for GSEHD professors has ranked among the lowest at GW since 2020, according to this year’s core indicators report from 2024. Assistant professors in the school made an average of $93,186 during the 2023-24 academic year, 15 percent less than the University average of $109,437.
Bracey said in an email to GSEHD community members ahead of the announcement that the school has faced “strong financial headwinds” in an “increasingly complex” higher education landscape. Enrollment in undergraduate education programs across the country has been on the decline since 2005, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
“Because of GW’s commitment to GSEHD’s mission, we will work with faculty to identify and enact strategies designed to tackle challenges and ensure that GSEHD continues to fulfill its potential,” Bracey wrote in the email, which The Hatchet obtained.
In a second email sent to GSEHD faculty by Feuer and Howard on Monday after Bracey’s email, the pair said “some” faculty have received notification of “changes to their employment status.” Feuer and Howard wrote in the email, which The Hatchet obtained, that the Office of the Provost intended for the message to be a “warning,” not a “final determination” of the status of their contracts.
“The provost’s office assures us of the University’s commitment to work with us on constructive solutions to support GSEHD’s long-term academic and fiscal viability,” Feuer and Howard wrote in the email.
In a prior email Howard sent to a GSEHD professor last Wednesday, which was also obtained by The Hatchet, Howard said there is a list of “contract faculty” compiled by the Provost’s office who could receive an email before Monday informing them that they will be laid off after the upcoming academic year.
Howard wrote in the email that GSEHD leadership is meeting with Bracey to try to preserve as many positions “as possible” and that it was possible the faculty member would not receive a notification. It is unclear how many GSEHD faculty received a similar email from Howard last week.
“There is absolutely no reflection on your performance or value to the community, but rather the unfortunate reality of GSEHD’s finances,” Howard said in the email.
Howard said while he is “optimistic” that GSEHD leadership can reduce the number of faculty laid off, “the harsh reality” is that some professors be asked to not return. He said the University’s perspective is that the notification is a “contractual obligation” caused by the “financial exigency” of GW.
“We have been here before and unless we want this cycle to repeat, the GSEHD community has some really hard work ahead of us; with tough decisions,” Howard said in the email.
Ryan Saenz and Gianna Jakubowski contributed reporting.
