St. Cloud State University’s Faculty Association Responds to President Wacker’s Departure

(KNSI) — St. Cloud State University’s Faculty Association members issued a statement regarding school President Dr. Robbyn Wacker’s departure announcement.

Wacker said Monday she will step down June 30th, which coincides with the end of her contract.

Association President Dr. Mumbi Mwangi says it wishes her well, saying she served SCSU through unprecedented times, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanked her for her efforts, but adds, “It is now time to reimagine the future of SCSU.”

Aside from the pandemic, Wacker’s time at the helm has also been fraught with budget issues and declining enrollment.

SCSU announced in April due to its ongoing budget deficit, the school will reduce staff and proposed reducing the number of majors offered. According to the spring update, a 22% reduction in staff since 2013 has not kept up with the 38% decline in enrollment in the same period. The current proposed plan shows there are 37 positions not in the budget for 2024, and they would be eliminated. The total suggested 108 personnel reductions through 2028.

In June, a campaign called Save St. Cloud State was started by faculty, students, and community members, and the school was asked to rethink its decisions. It also accused SCSU’s top brass of not listening to what students and faculty wanted and using an outside organization to create and implement the budget plans for programming and staff eliminations.

SCSU offers 157 programs but says 75% of undergraduate students enroll in 35 of them. At the graduate level, 24 of the school’s 80 grad programs account for 75% of enrolled students, which the school says is leading to a reexamination of its portfolio of offerings.

Save St. Cloud State Organizer Jenna Chernega, the President of the Interfaculty Organization, tells KNSI News those numbers don’t accurately portray the actual impact the cuts would have. She explained instructors in those endangered programs aren’t walking into empty classrooms.

The association’s statement mentions navigating the future with a new leader and cooperation between all sides regarding reductions. “We look forward to bringing the community together to discuss how SCSU can preserve what makes our university special and enhance areas where gaps are identified. To accomplish this, we must listen, most importantly, to our students, faculty, staff, and community members. We must protect our university from things that threaten our campus culture, such as standardized, profit-driven online courses. We are optimistic about SCSU’s future and are excited to reimagine it collaboratively with all the stakeholders who are at the core of who we are as an institution.”

The association represents the interests of faculty at the school and is also part of the Inter Faculty Organization.

Earlier this month, the Minnesota State System restricted SCSU’s effort to switch 11 academic programs to online courses in a move the IFO says is driven purely by profit and called Dallas-based Academic Partnerships, which would administer the courses “predatory.”

Wacker came to St. Cloud in 2018 after 20 years at the University of Northern Colorado and was the first woman to lead SCSU. A search for an interim replacement will begin in the spring.

___