Students and faculty at the University of Minnesota used a public forum Friday to unload on the Board of Regents over a proposed fiscal-year budget that would raise resident tuition by roughly 3.8% while trimming academic and support spending. Speaker after speaker warned the reductions could shutter programs, hollow out classroom support and wipe out about 165 jobs across the system. Regents are scheduled to vote on the operating budget on June 26, putting the proposal on a fast track to take effect this fall if it passes.
What’s in the proposal
According to the University of Minnesota, the FY2027 recommendation centers on student affordability and workforce reinvestment, while calling for a “moderate” resident tuition increase of about 3.8% and a 3% merit pool for eligible employees. University leaders say the hike tracks with inflation and that colleges and units are being told to find efficiencies and steer resources toward priority programs under the Elevate Extraordinary strategic plan.
How deep are the cuts
As reported by the Star Tribune, the proposal would trim academic units by about 3.8%, which is roughly $43 million, and reduce support areas such as facilities, finance and libraries by about 2.25%, or about $11.3 million. The paper reports the operating package totals about $5.4 billion, and university budget officials estimate the changes could eliminate about 165 positions systemwide. Critics at the forum argued those reductions will land in classrooms and student services, not in the upper tiers of administration.
Classrooms and staff at risk
Graduate teaching assistant Cal Mergendahl told regents that a proposed 20% cut to the TA budget would require him to supervise three lab sections instead of two and would leave tutoring rooms without staff available to help students. Julien Nguyen, who works in classroom technical services, warned the plan would effectively shut down his department, which currently provides campus AV support, and leave the university without a central team to keep classroom technology running. Faculty members pointed to last year’s cuts that they say already led to canceled classes, adjunct layoffs and the phasing out of at least one graduate program, and they urged regents to look for alternatives to trimming instruction and support roles.
Next steps and how to weigh in
The Board of Regents is slated to vote on the FY2027 operating budget at a special meeting on June 26, and public comments submitted through the Board’s virtual forum by the stated deadline will be included in the official meeting docket. The University of Minnesota says the plan is designed to protect access for low- and middle-income students through existing aid programs, while relying on partnerships and philanthropy to help soften the blow of higher costs. For students and staff watching closely, the vote will decide whether the university moves ahead with a modest tuition bump and the offsets its leaders argue are necessary to balance a tight budget.
