Berklee College of Music lays off 70 employees, citing budget challenges
Berklee College of Music is laying off 70 staff members, citing budget challenges, according to a Friday letter to the college community.
"We have been carefully reviewing our finances and operations, initiated after the budget challenges that arose at the end of last calendar year. Our focus has been on protecting Berklee's strong foundation and the exceptional student experience we're known for, while building a budget that is sustainable and true to our mission," said Jim Lucchese, Berklee College's president, in the letter.
He said the key challenges are "rising costs, a dynamic enrollment environment and shifting national policies," which, if left unaddressed, would harm the institution's academic mission.
The layoffs account for three percent of the college's workforce — but no faculty were affected, according to a Berklee spokesperson.
"All programs and academic offerings are continuing as before," the spokesperson said.
The employees will be offered severance compensation, subsidized health care continuation and career transition support, according to Lucchese.
"This is by far the hardest step we've had to take, as it affects valued colleagues and friends who have made lasting contributions to our work, our culture and to the soul of Berklee," he said.
In response to the layoff announcement, a walkout occurred on Friday. As part of the walkout, the student body demanded greater transparency, for the Berklee administration to "understand how the programs at the Conservatory run" and for the institution to create a plan of how the institution will move forward without the staff, according to social media posts from student group Berklee Activism.
This layoff announcement follows the Boston Conservatory at Berklee's decision in July to phase out its contemporary theater Bachelor of Fine Arts program, which enrolled fewer than 0.5% of its students.
Other institutions have also reduced majors or programming or laid off staff this year, including Utica University in New York , Clark University in Worcester , Boston University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute .
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