Ithaca College Reviews Staff Positions Amid $8 Million Deficit

Ithaca College is reviewing staff positions as it confronts a projected $8 million fiscal deficit by the end of 2027 — double the previously estimated figure. President Dr. La Jerne Terry Cornish shared the news at an Oct. 20 State of the College meeting, according to The Ithaca Voice, and the review lands on a campus already shaken by leadership turnover and a restructuring plan announced days earlier.

For the roughly 1,100 employees watching this unfold, the immediate question is who's exposed. College spokesperson Sloan MacRae confirmed the staffing review but drew one boundary: the college is not currently looking to eliminate faculty positions. "Any decisions affecting employees would be communicated directly to those individuals," MacRae said in an email.

That leaves staff roles — administration, student services, program support — carrying the uncertainty. One Park School of Communication faculty member, who requested anonymity fearing professional retaliation, called the news "devastating."

How did the deficit get here?

The deficit is structural, not sudden. Ithaca College ran a budget gap of about $9.6 million in the 2024-25 academic year, part of a years-long financial struggle common among small liberal arts colleges, some of which have closed permanently.

Enrollment is the driver. The college missed its 2026 target by 75 students, enrolling 157 fewer first-years in fall 2026 than in fall 2025 against an expected class of 1,180. For a tuition-dependent institution, each missed enrollment cycle compounds the staffing math.

Leadership churn adds risk. Cornish has announced her departure. The chief financial officer left this year, along with the deans of the Roy H. Park School of Communication and the School of Business. The dean of students will also depart.

"I know the uncertainty that that creates, especially for colleagues who have already taken on additional responsibilities," Cornish said, according to The Ithacan, the student newspaper.

What does the restructuring change?

The staffing review follows an Oct. 13 all-faculty meeting where the college proposed collapsing its five schools into three. The announcement surprised much of the campus and appeared to contradict the administration's own statements: on Aug. 19, Provost Melanie Stein told The Ithacan there was "no" possibility of school mergers.

MacRae framed the restructuring as a "multiyear process" and "not an exercise to close this year's deficit through program cuts." Which departments would be most affected, and on what timeline, remain unclear.

Ali Erkan, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science, sees a communication problem more than a strategy problem. "There are mixed messages coming out of the senior administration regarding the changes they plan," he said. "I think more will be factually known in a few weeks."

Erkan added in an email: "While most faculty believe that structural change is inevitable, they also feel disheartened by the lack of transparency and collaboration surrounding the development of the proposed three-school vision." He also flagged the opportunity cost: the administrative lift of restructuring could distract from "attracting more students to IC during this very academic year."

What comes next?

A petition expressing "no confidence" in the board of trustees' decision-making began circulating Oct. 8, demanding greater transparency; staff, faculty and student groups are still considering it. MacRae said the college has not received the petition and no action has been requested of the board.

Morale tells its own story. "I have never seen morale as low here, except for COVID," one Park faculty member said. Expect staffing decisions, and more clarity on the three-school model, to surface in the weeks ahead.