Title: Sonoma State University Faces Major Budget Deficit, Eliminates Athletics Program
Facing a substantial budget deficit that ballooned to an estimated $23.9 million, Sonoma State University, a key campus within California's 23-institution State University system, has announced drastic budget cuts. Among these changes is the elimination of all intercollegiate athletic teams.
In a Tuesday message to the campus, Interim President Emily F. Cutrer outlined the university's financial dilemma. The deficit, initially projected at $21 million last fall, saw a significant increase due to various factors, primarily an enrollment decline of 38% since peaking in 2015.
To bridge this gap, Sonoma State had initially implemented numerous cost-saving measures, such as voluntary employee separations, hiring freezes, and the use of reserves. These strategies yielded $6.8 million in savings. However, further steps were deemed necessary to fully plug the financing shortfall.
Faculty and Staff Reductions
Initiating the process, 46 faculty members – including tenured, tenure-track, and adjunct instructors – along with a substantial number of lecturers will not have their contracts renewed. The terminations will take effect on specific dates, with faculty impacted in July 2025, and lecturers on May 23, 2025. Additionally, a hiring freeze will be imposed.
Academic Program Reductions
Over 20 degree programs and more than a dozen minors will be discontinued. Affected programs encompass various fields, ranging from Art History and Global Studies to Philosophy and Women's and Gender Studies. Students within these disciplines have options to complete their degrees if they are within 60 units of completion or shift majors by the end of Spring 2025.
Department Closures and Consolidations
Several academic departments will be merged, downsized, or eliminated – such as Art History, Economics, Geology, Philosophy, and Theater/Dance – with others operating under a single, shared departmental chair.
Elimination of Intercollegiate Athletics
The university will also eliminate its entire NCAA Division II athletics program, impacting seven women's teams and four men's teams. The university's website lists these sports. Following the 2025 spring sports seasons, students who opt to remain at Sonoma State will retain their scholarships' terms, while those who transfer will be supported in continuing their intercollegiate athletics participation.
The budget cuts will save an estimated $8 million in instructional costs, $3.8 million from reorganization and other vacancies, $3.7 million from the discontinuation of NCAA athletics, $3.3 million from the hiring freeze, and $1.3 million from not filling university-wide budget lines.
Cutrer warned that the announced measures likely represent the "largest part of any adjustments we will have to make this year," adding that there might be further decreases to the operating budget through ongoing discussions about CSU shared services. Additional complicating factors include potential reduced funding from Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed state budget for the CSU system.
Cutrer acknowledged the challenges these changes pose for the university's community, stating that the reorientation was vital to close the deficit, ensure long-term financial stability, align with the CSU's career-focused mission, and adapt to the evolving needs of future generations of students.
The budget cuts at Sonoma State University, part of the California State University system, have resulted in faculty layoffs, with 46 instructors and a significant number of lecturers not having their contracts renewed. (faculty layoffs, California State University system, Sonoma State University)
In an effort to address the substantial budget deficit, the university has also decided to eliminate its intercollegiate athletic program, affecting both men's and women's teams. (budget cuts, Sonoma State University, intercollegiate athletics)
Furthermore, to mitigate the deficit, Sonoma State University has announced the termination of over 20 academic programs and more than a dozen minors, impacting various disciplines within the university. (budget cuts, Sonoma State University, academic program terminations)
