July 01, 2015
Thom Carroll /PhillyVoice
Drexel University is beginning to transition after an intense period of growth.
Drexel University has laid off several dozen administrative employees after a decision to lower freshman enrollment, Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
While Drexel did not comment on the number of layoffs or which positions were cut, the school said the move will save $18 million.
"I will not minimize how difficult this process has been for the talented professionals who lost positions and the colleagues who valued them," Drexel President John Fry wrote in an email to staff last week. "I want to reiterate, however, how we have positioned Drexel for sustainable excellence going forward.”
Lori Doyle, senior vice president for university communications, told Philly.com that the university decided a smaller incoming class would be beneficial to students.
"When we made the conscious decision to take a smaller class size to increase quality, we knew we were going to have to cut administrative costs," Doyle said. "So this is not something that took us by surprise."
Employees were to be dismissed by Wednesday. In May, the university announced that it would delay raises in an effort to save more money.
