State University of New York at Fredonia President announced plans to “adjust our workforce” last week.

As part of a restructuring that was announced in December, the State University of New York at Fredonia is taking its next step that impacts staffing.

In a letter sent to staff members and faculty last week, President Dr. Stephen Kolison wrote that the institution has been struggling with a structural deficit that has been addressed through fund balances and federal COVID funding. At this time, however, those monies have been “exhausted.”

“Consistent with our strategy, after very hard and at times painful discussions, we are moving forward with plans to adjust our workforce in conjunction with the program discontinuations,” Kolison wrote. “Many, but not all, of these adjustments can be made through attrition or voluntary separations.”

University officials did not offer a specific number on the number of potential layoffs, though some staff members indicated it could be fewer than five. All of the impending cuts are not expected to take place until next year. “I want to stress that these decisions are not taken lightly,” Kolison wrote. “I know they are most difficult on those directly impacted. We will make every effort to assist impacted employees every way we can, and we have notified their respective bargaining representatives so that they can assist as well.”

Kolison’s letter comes after a promising start to the fall semester. This year, the university noted

1,034 first-year, transfer, and new graduate students would be coming to the campus in August. The enrollment numbers for this fall, the institution reported, included a 10% rise in first-year student enrollment compared to last year, while graduate enrollment has surged by an impressive 34% year-over-year.

“Those trends need to continue to help us get where we want — and need — to be,” Kolison wrote. “We still have more work to do, and as we have seen with this incoming class, we can do it.”

Last year, the university’s deficit was reported around $17 million. Before the end of the fall semester, Kolison announced that 13 programs that affected about 2.2% of the more than 3,200 students were being eliminated as part of the restructuring.

Fredonia is not alone in its fiscal struggles. Other SUNY locations struggling include Potsdam, which announced layoffs last year, and Buffalo State, which is on the verge of eliminating 37 graduate and undergraduate programs as part of its plan to deal with a $16.5 million deficit.

SUNY Fredonia is one of Chautauqua County’s largest employers with more than its workforce number around 1,090.