Sonoma State University ends athletic programs, cuts several departments amid $24M deficit
Sonoma State University announced Wednesday that its intercollegiate athletics programs are being discontinued, several academic departments and majors are being eliminated and dozens of faculty members are being laid off to address a budget deficit of nearly $24 million.
The university in Rohnert Park will not renew contracts for 46 faculty members for the 2025-26 school year and several other lecturers and management and staff positions are also being eliminated, interim university president Emily Cutrer said in a statement to the campus community.
Some of the degree programs identified for elimination include art history, dance, economics, earth and environmental sciences, French, philosophy, theater arts, and women and gender studies, according to Sonoma State, which said a $23.9 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year is due in part to enrollment numbers that have dropped 38% in the past decade.
"I honestly was speechless. I was very confused, and then I was angry," said Melissa Shilkoff.
Melissa Shilkoff is a junior at Sonoma State University majoring in acting.
She said she learned the news that her major would be cut after this term while in one of her theatre classes.
"We didn't really talk about it much. We just breathed and tried to just understand what was happening. It honestly still feels just like a bad dream," said Shilkoff.
"They've shot themselves in the foot. Like, it's the WGS Department was originally the women's studies department, and it started in 1970. It's one of the oldest in California, in all of the CSUs. Like that's incredible, that's a selling point to this school, and they're just cutting it," said Smith.
Scott Horstein, a professor in the Theatre Arts and Dance Department for over 15 years, also doesn't know what to think. If these cuts stand, he'll be out of a job come June.
"I mean, I've spent you know my professional life as an educator and as an artist. It's hard to imagine not doing those things," said Horstein.
Scott told KPIX he's not going down without a fight.
His union is already discussing ways to try and stop these cuts. And his students are doing the same.
Melissa said she and so many others are working to spread the word.
"Just keep posting about it, keep talking about it. Make sure that the interim president of Sonoma State University and the county of Sonoma knows that this is important and we need these departments," said Shilkoff.
Division II athletics programs are all being cut but university officials said student-athletes who choose to remain at Sonoma State will remain eligible to receive scholarships as long as they meet the current terms of their scholarship.
"I know this is difficult news for our campus community. I am keenly aware of its human impact, and how individuals, families, relationships, and communities are affected by such news," Cutrer said in the statement. "I understand that no amount of explanation or necessity makes any of us feel better."
She said the cuts "will help us ensure long-term fiscal stability; meet the changing needs of future generations of students; align with the CSU's career-focused mission of producing graduates ready to contribute to California's economy, culture, and schools; and continue to be a major force for economic, environmental, and social progress in the North Bay and beyond."
A town hall meeting to discuss the budget cuts is planned for 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 in the Student Center ballrooms on the Sonoma State campus. More information about the cuts and the full statement from Cutrer can be found at https://budget.sonoma.edu/budget-deficit-resources.