ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) has provided an update to cuts that will be made to its faculty.

According to a letter from university president Eric Bruntmyer, HSU anticipates reducing faculty by 30 positions by the Fall of 2019 as a result of the “financial re-stewarding process” that began in Sept. 2018.

These positions include both full-time faculty that choose to accept a buyout as well as non-tenured faculty whose annual contracts will not be renewed, the letter states.

Bruntmyer also says the administration and deans at HSU have decided to leave some currently open faculty searches unfilled.

The faculty cuts come just months after the university ended a number of graduate and undergraduate programs.

The full letter reads as follows:

Dear HSU Family,

As we begin the spring semester, I want to provide an update to you – HSU’s boards, faculty, staff,
students, and alumni – regarding the impact on faculty of the financial re-stewarding process begun in the fall.

By the fall of 2019, we anticipate the total number of HSU faculty will have been reduced by a total of 30 positions.
This number represents both those who will transition from teaching full-time at HSU after voluntarily accepting the buyout as well as a few non-tenured faculty with annual contracts that will not be
renewed.

Additionally, while two open faculty searches and a dean’s search remain underway, HSU’s
Administration and deans have decided to leave a small number of current open faculty searches unfilled.
This has not been an easy process for anyone in our HSU family. That said, these faculty transitions,
combined with the staff severance packages and program/extension closures communicated with you
previously, are projected to help HSU achieve all of the necessary financial goals set by the HSU Board
of Trustees in September 2018.
Recent data indicates positive changes for HSU. For example, applications and admits for Fall 2019 are running 31% ahead of last year, and we have already received nearly 2,500
Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSAs).  
My prayer is that the financial health resulting from this process will allow us to continue working together in building a university that provides our students with an education enlightened by Christian faith and values far into the future.