Johnson & Wales University is addressing its budgetary deficit by eliminating 91 positions, or 5% of staff and faculty, online and on its Charlotte and Providence, Rhode Island, campuses.
The cuts are “part of an organizational restructure and reorganization of key departments and programs,” the university said in an internal statement yesterday. “The decision to reduce the workforce addresses a budgetary deficit and structural imbalance.”
The board of trustees supported the decision, described by Chancellor Mim Runey as “a necessary action in order to put the university on a sustainable path. We simply cannot afford to be the size that we once were, and we believe that the university will emerge from this challenging moment stronger and with a robust fiscal outlook for growth, success and student achievement.”
Known for its culinary and hospitality curricula, the private, nonprofit university isn’t commenting beyond Monday’s statement, spokeswoman Jill Smith said in an email. Johnson & Wales has more than 1,100 students on its Charlotte campus, and more than 4,300 on its Rhode Island campus, according to its website.
In early 2024, the university announced plans to convert a hotel it owns in downtown Charlotte into student housing. At that time, the university said it would start housing upperclassmen in the DoubleTree by Hilton Charlotte Uptown on West Trade Street in the fall semester of 2024.
As part of its strategic plan to increase enrollment, Johnson and Wales said it wanted to extend the campus footprint to create a more cohesive collegiate atmosphere for the Charlotte campus.
Johnson & Wales celebrated its 20th anniversary in Charlotte last year. It closed its Miami and Denver campuses in 2021. It integrated its Charleston, South Carolina, and Norfolk, Virginia, campuses into the Charlotte campus in 2003 and 2006, respectively.
