University of Denver moves to combine some colleges, cut staff amid declining enrollment
The University of Denver is working on a restructuring, as it looks to design itself for years ahead. That will include the creation of new combined colleges.
"The restructuring that we're doing is really to make sure that our administrative structures are nimble and agile to reduce the kind of bureaucratic barrier that I think are unneeded in this day and age," Chancellor Jeremy Haefner told CBS Colorado.
It will mean combining DU's Graduate School of Social Work, Graduate School of Professional Psychology and the Morgridge College of Education. Also being combined will be the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the Kinesiology and Sport Studies program.
Some departments are being eliminated, such as religious studies and electrical and computer engineering.
"This notion of transformation has been consistent throughout this history of DU and what other private universities are doing," Haefner explained. That being said, we are also undergoing a rightsizing movement because we also see changes in the enrollment and therefor the revenue patterns of the university."
DU has seen a decline in overall enrollment from 14,130 in the fall of 2021, to 11,499 in the fall of 2025. Most notably has been a 10% reduction in the amount of graduate students, falling by a total of over 500 over those years.
DU had to make adjustments of $20 million to $30 million this year ahead of the new fiscal year starting July 1.
Over the past two years, almost 10% of the staff has taken buyouts as the university has cut staff.
"We are going through some rightsizing of our employees," Haefner said. "This is hard work, challenging. These are colleagues that have had a long time with the university. But, in order to match the size of our enrollments that we foresee in the future, I think this is necessary."
Private colleges and universities are grappling with challenges all around the country, some blamed on their risings costs. A review done by the Huron Consulting Group indicated 442 out of the nation's 1,700 private nonprofits could close in the next decade. Haefner says DU is not in that group in trouble of surviving, noting it still has an endowment of about $1 billion.
Around the country, some problems are similar. A reduction in student visas under the Trump administration has hurt. Many of those students pay full price, helping colleges make ends meet. For many schools, there is figuring in a competitive college landscape. DU has received a 33% increase in applications this year Haefner said, but that isn't translating into more students.
"I think where we need to really work and think about how do we make sure that their experience here is so unique, so different, that it adds value to them, and they should come to the University of Denver," Haefner said.
The university will add an Integrated Life Sciences building in 2027 to put STEM programs together. But, as employment changes and colleges look at the potential students in schools heading for college around the country, it looks like they may have fewer financial resources and pay greater attention to the value of a college education.
Haefner believes the university will still be educating them.
"The University of Denver is on solid financial footing," Haefner said. "We're just needing to do like many organizations do; do these structural transformations in order to meet the future needs."
