St. Cloud State University Interim President Larry Dietz Focuses on Enrollment Rebound Amid Fiscal Challenges

(KNSI) – St. Cloud State University Interim President Larry Dietz is settling into his role.

Dietz came out of retirement and started on July 1st. He stated his priorities will be to ensure the university lives within its means and increase the student population. Dietz sat down with KNSI News and told us that enrollment is the biggest cause of the college’s problems. “In the Midwest, the number of students who are college age, if you will, have declined. And that’s just a birth rate issue. It has nothing to do with the institutions.”

The number of students at St. Cloud State has slipped from its peak of 18,300 in 2010 to just over 10,000 in 2023. SCSU had a net operating loss of $18 million in 2023, which lowered the institution’s year-end cash balance from $28.7 million to $10.8 million. Last month, SCSU announced cuts to 42 degrees and 50 minor programs to right size the college. At the same time, 57 instructors or about 13% of the total faculty, will be cut by 2027. About 8% of students are affected, though they will be able to finish their classwork at the school.

Dietz says what’s left are programs they can build on. “The curriculum here is strong, and it’s in programs that are in high demand. So, I don’t think we have any weak programs. We had some programs that just simply didn’t have enough enrollment because students weren’t as interested in those.”

He said some of the school’s strengths are the business, education, engineering and nursing colleges. He’s hoping to get the community on board with looking ahead to the future instead of the past.

Dietz served as the president of Illinois State University from 2014 to 2021. During his tenure, he added several undergraduate and graduate programs, received approval for a new College of Engineering, and stabilized enrollment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a master’s in college student personnel and a doctorate in higher education administration from Iowa State University.

The southern Illinois native has been with his wife, Marlene, for 30 years. They have a son and a daughter. When not working, he enjoys playing golf and doing yard work.

Dietz has replaced Robbyn Wacker, who served as SCSU’s top administrator for the last six years. He signed a two-year contract while the school looks for a permanent replacement.

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