The ongoing effects of last summer’s budget cuts to the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) are forcing Keene State College to compensate by eliminating 17 staff and 12 faculty positions. As previously reported by The Equinox, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a state budget for fiscal years 2026-2027 on Friday, June 27, which included a 15 percent cut, totalling nearly $26 million in lost state funding across USNH.
A recent email sent on behalf of former KSC President Melinda Treadwell and President of the Affiliated Staff Association Kimberly Schmidl-Gagne explained that KSC is facing a financial cut of $4 million by the end of fiscal year 2027 (FY’27). The email further detailed that 17 staff positions, including two vacant positions, are being considered for elimination. Affected positions are under review by human resources and legal teams and are not yet publicly disclosed.
Affected staff members will be notified on Tuesday, Nov. 18, following a scheduled meeting between the President’s Cabinet and association leadership on Saturday, Nov. 8, in compliance with a ten-day advance notice period required under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Faculty positions are also being cut, with 12 positions eligible for termination. Unlike the 17 staff cuts, KSC was able to secure USNH approval for faculty to voluntarily separate through Separation Incentive Packages (SIP), similar to the Enhanced Separation Agreements (ESA) offered to faculty and staff during a reduction period in 2021. USNH refused to authorize a similar buyout incentive for affected staff members.
According to Treadwell, cabinet members are seeking to primarily target positions which could potentially be absorbed into other existing jobs in order to minimize operational disruptions on campus.
“We have made decisions with regard to some reorganization where we can eliminate some staff, principally within more senior leadership roles, or where there can be shared services overlap with [USNH] so that we can downsize,” said Treadwell.
“It’s always painful to lose anyone from an organization, but if we are going to be forced to reduce, let’s make sure we are doing so in areas where there may be equivalencies elsewhere, and ways to work together as a system,” added Treadwell.
According to Schmidl-Gagne, KSC is continuously being asked to make due with less and less, despite going above and beyond to balance budgets. Schmidl-Gagne said the June 27 state budget cuts are exacerbating a resource crisis that the college doesn’t deserve.
“Over time, it feels like the staff and faculty have been blamed for a budget gap. It’s not us, and we’ve been cut and cut and cut, and have done so with as much dignity and respect as we possibly can,” said Schmidl-Gagne.
“This is not about people spending like crazy. People have been through a lot since 2015, when [Former President Anne Huot] amassed between a $15-18 million budget, and we’ve been working on closing that gap for ten years. Now the state has created an additional gap for us to deal with,” added Schmidl-Gagne.
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Nathalie Houder, who serves on the President’s Cabinet, said that budget cuts from the state are disappointing and fail to account for the value of investing in education.
“It’s disappointing to see the cuts that have been made to education. From my perspective, this is the future of our state and we are cutting funding for the very students we want to stay in New Hampshire,” said Houder.
“It’s very disappointing when [the New Hampshire State Legislature] does not acknowledge how important it is. It’s not just public school, it’s early childhood education, [Kindergarten through the twelfth grade] and higher education, and it’s very sad to see the state cut funding for the students that we want to keep in the state as successful citizens,” added Houder.
Houder was unable to comment on specific roles or departments that will be affected by the reductions, citing the ongoing legal review process, but stated that efforts are being made to ensure that KSC does not experience a deficit operating margin.
“We’ve been tasked with making sure that Keene State does not end up with a deficit operating margin. We need to break even and get to a one percent operating margin, meaning our revenue needs to exceed our expenses,” said Houder.
“Whether we figure out how to increase our revenue, which is difficult, we expect to hit our net tuition revenue budget for fall of 2026,” added Houder.
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kirsti Sandy is a member of the President’s Cabinet, and said that positions within Academic Affairs are likely to be affected; however, all affected positions are still under review before a final decision is announced. According to Sandy, student-facing positions are not being considered for elimination as part of an effort to minimize consequences on students.
“We do not want to compromise any student-facing positions, anything where individuals work closely with students, such as direct instruction or anything that the student experience depends on. We are going to preserve those positions as much as possible,” said Sandy.
Concerns have been raised about possible reductions at the Mason Library and Facilities. According to Sandy, certain departments are being examined by charters from USNH to identify areas in which shared services can be further implemented. Four areas are being examined, including Library Services and Facilities Services. According to Sandy, there is no immediate guarantee that reductions will affect the library or facilities, although both are possible.
“These charters are charged with looking at efficiencies in these areas, between system colleges. Each is going to write up a report on how we can effectively share or not some of the services they offer. This may be why people are concerned about those two areas,” said Sandy.
Assistant Vice President for Academic Engagement (AVPAE) and Director of the Mason Library Celia Rabinowitz said that she hasn’t heard direct notifications about personnel reductions at the library, but remains worried that anyone could be in jeopardy.
“I think that all of us, including myself, feel that we could all potentially be affected by this. I think that all of us assume that every department is being looked at,” said Rabinowitz.
“As someone who feels closely tied to my staff, I am aware and can feel how anxious they are. I’m not as concerned for myself as I am for the folks who are here working with me every day,” added Rabinowitz.
Assistant Director of Facilities Services Colin Burdick echoed Rabinowitz’s concerns, and said that he has yet to hear about specific reductions within his operation.
“I have not been told to come up with contingency plans for anybody, and I’ve been asking some of my counterparts. They have been saying the same thing, that they don’t know anything and it’s a cause for concern,” said Burdick.
“We are very neat as it is, and we can not identify people we could afford to lose. I’m concerned that if we do lose someone, how that will affect our services. I don’t know whether to take that as a sign that we are safe, or if we just are not being told,” added Burdick.
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
