Following a University of North Texas Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, President Harrison Keller briefly outlined potential changes that will be considered to stabilize a budget that has reached a projected $45 million deficit this fiscal year.
“The implications of these changes will be felt across the university, and we must make these decisions deliberately and with the aim of improving alignment across our values, priorities, and university budget,” Keller said.
He listed a number of possible actions that would heavily impact academic affairs, which accounts for about 80% of UNT’s available funding, including:
- Consolidation or possible elimination of low-enrollment courses and programs
- Increased teaching loads
- Freezing certain vacant faculty and staff lines
- Strategic reorganization of administrative and academic units and departments
Keller also said a voluntary separation program for eligible faculty will be available, but has not released further information.
UNT’s academic affairs department is responsible for management of academic programs, curriculum development, faculty recruitment and promotion and academic policies.
Keller also referenced changes to how faculty and staff teach large-enrollment courses.
“This initiative will expand work already underway to redesign courses using technology, personalize the learning experience to improve outcomes for students, and in turn, strengthen our financial position” he said.
Earlier this week, Keller called the budget deficit “structural, not just temporary” and noted two major challenges that contributed to the university’s financial status.
UNT lost $32 million in formula funding for instruction and operations for the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years.
The university then saw a sharper decline in international students’ enrollment in UNT master’s programs than the leadership expected. Keller said in a previous notice to faculty and staff that the decline in international students seeking degrees at UNT is “especially due to recent federal policy changes.”
Lucinda Breeding-Gonzales contributed to this report.
