St. Cloud State University Acting President Larry Lee Departs Amid Financial Crisis to Lead Blackburn College

(KNSI) — The person charged with overseeing St. Cloud State University’s financial woes is leaving.

In a letter sent to staff Monday and obtained by KNSI News, Larry Lee announced he has been selected as the next President of Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois. In the letter, he said being chosen was an honor, and it was not an easy decision to make.

Lee had stepped into the role of Acting President of SCSU following the sudden departure of Dr. Robbyn Wacker, who announced her departure in November but left abruptly earlier this month.

A letter from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor Scott Olson was sent out to the school’s faculty and students. In it, Olson said SCSU is facing acute financial pressures that need to be addressed within weeks and believes someone else should be making decisions on long-term operational changes at the roughly 10,000-student institution. Since Interim President Designate Larry Dietz wouldn’t be installed until July 1st, Lee, who had been Vice President for Finance and Administration, stepped in May 6th.

He assured a smooth transition and will serve as Acting President until July 1st and is confident the university is in good hands. During the transition and until a new permanent CFO is identified, Dan Golombiecki will serve as the interim Vice President for Finance and Administration. Dan has served SCSU for more than 10 years and has earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the school.

Lee expressed his fondness for SCSU and appreciated the trust he’s received and concluded by thanking everyone for their support.

The school is moving into the next phase of its five year plan following its ongoing budget issues. It is assessing making cuts to programs and staffing to address an $18 million net operating loss in 2023, which lowered the institution’s year end cash balance from $28.7 million to $10.8 million.

Lee revealed in a letter to staff and faculty this month a grim projection. “When adjusting this year to account for a one-time allocation from the state of $9.75 million, our actual net operating loss would be $15 million for fiscal year 2024.” The letter warned the campus community, “It’s evident that with a $5 million projected cash balance, we cannot continue to lose $15 million a year, and adjustments to our operating structure are necessary.”

The school will lean into its “90 strongest academic programs,” which 90% of the current students participate in. An analysis of SCSU’s enrollment in its 136 undergraduate and graduate degree programs shows that 75% of SCSU undergrad students are enrolled in 35 of its 88 programs, and 75% of grad students are enrolled in 25 of its 48 programs. This has led the school to reexamine its offerings to “better align with student demand and career path options.”

Degree programs on the chopping block include its criminal justice bachelor degree. Its master’s program already has suspended admissions. English education, English studies, music, sociology, child and family studies, and several education disciplines, including early childhood special ed, science education, education administration, physical education and social studies, could also be eliminated along with manufacturing engineering, manufacturing engineering technology, and economics.

There are 85 minor programs offered currently. Cuts recommend eliminating all but 35 that are subsets of majors to enhance efficiency and complement major programs while also being fiscally viable. Criminal justice, applied analytics, applied mathematics, applied behavior analysis, English studies, creative writing, STEM education, economics, several e-sports disciplines, and global and gender studies are on the proposed list for elimination.

Fifty-seven positions, or 13% of the total faculty on campus, will also be eliminated.

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