Bryn Athyn College cuts varsity sports, other positions to cope with deficit
“This decision is a necessary step for our survival,” President Sean Connelly said in a message to the campus in March.
Bryn Athyn College of the New Church, a small private Christian school in Montgomery County, has cut its 11 varsity athletic programs and the equivalent of 20 full-time positions to cope with a mounting deficit and a decreasing endowment.
“This decision is a necessary step for our survival,” President Sean Connelly said in a message to the campus in March. “This is hard. But the deeper injustice would be to ignore reality and jeopardize the future of our beloved college.”
That same month the college was warned by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that its accreditation could be in danger because it was not in compliance with a standard involving governance, leadership and administration. The college must submit a report by Oct. 1, demonstrating it can meet that requirement.
Connelly did not respond to an email or calls requesting comment on the college’s status, current enrollment or whether anything had changed since his March message.
Founded in 1877, Bryn Athyn, which enrolled 272 undergraduate students in fall 2023, according to U.S. News and World Report, is the latest local college to show signs of financial strain. Many colleges have struggled in recent years, large and small, public and private.
» READ MORE: Financially strapped Rosemont College will merge with Villanova University
Rosemont College announced earlier this year that it would wind down its operations over the next three years and that its campus would be acquired by Villanova University. Cabrini University and the University of the Arts closed last year, and the University of the Sciences merged into St. Joseph’s University in 2022.
And Salus University is merging into Drexel University, which in November laid off 60 professional staff employees as part of a plan to deal with a deficit. The merger with Salus was supposed to be completed by June 30, but the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the accrediting body, said earlier this month that the U.S. Department of Education hadn’t yet approved the merger and that the completion date was no longer in effect.
» READ MORE: Drexel lays off 60 employees as it continues to address a budget crunch
Temple University last week said it was preparing to cut positions, including layoffs, as it faces a $60 million deficit next year. Pennsylvania State University is closing seven of its Commonwealth campuses.
Bryn Athyn, which occupies 130 acres, is affiliated with the New Church “that respects all faiths that acknowledge God and a life of charity toward the neighbor,” according to the school’s website. Tuition, fees, and room and board at the school topped $43,300 last academic year.
» READ MORE: PSU board approves closure of seven Commonwealth campuses by a 25-8 vote
Connelly, who got his bachelor’s degree in economics and science from Bryn Athyn, was named the school’s president in November.
In his March message to the campus, he noted that no instructional positions were eliminated, but that the college had “crossed the threshold” when its endowment fell below $37 million in 2023 and cuts were necessary. In 2013, a college committee said that if the endowment fell below $40 million, it would need to plan for “downsizing or closure” and then implement those plans if it fell below $37 million.
The college faces a $3.4 million “true deficit,” he said, though its total cumulative operating deficit since 2007 is $48.7 million.
Its sports programs, including the overhead, were costing the college 21% of its annual budget, a much higher benchmark than the national average, Connelly said.
“This level of financial expenditure is unsustainable,” he said.
In addition to ending the varsity programs, the school also cut its club hockey team. But he said the school planned to create a club sports program.
The school also is outsourcing its information technology operations and reorganizing departments, including fundraising, alumni engagement, marketing, financial aid, and academic advising, he said.
The changes will result in the reduction of 20 full-time positions, affecting 29 employees, Connelly said.
“Nobody embraces change for its own sake,” Connelly said in his message. “But sometimes, change is the only path to survival. And survival, when aligned with vision, can give way to renewal.”