New Jersey City University continues layoffs ahead of merger with Kean University

Notices went out to employees on April 27

Less than a week after accreditors approved a merger with Kean University, New Jersey City University notified employees they could be laid off or demoted. Some employees were informed that same day that they had been laid off.

The notices were sent on April 27 by NJCU President Andrés Acebo, just days after the Middle States Commission on Higher Education approved the merger, as the university moves to address a projected multimillion-dollar budget gap.

The move follows an earlier wave of layoffs tied to the merger. In February, NJCU announced plans to cut 151 employees, including 33 full-time professors — 24 of them tenured — and 94 support staff, with notices taking effect June 30.

It remains unclear how many employees were affected by the latest notices. University spokesman Ira Thor declined to provide a figure, saying the process is still in progress

“To help mitigate layoffs, more than 150 NJCU employees elected to participate in a voluntary separation program, which will ultimately reduce the number of layoffs and position reductions,” Thor said in an email. “That number is still being determined, and notifications are ongoing.”

NJCU, which enrolls about 6,500 students on its 45-acre Jersey City campus, is set to become a campus of Kean University on July 1 and be renamed Kean-Jersey City University. Kean, based in Union, has more than 19,000 students across campuses in Elizabeth, Hillside, and Union.

Thor said both schools have been working collaboratively for the past 13 months to advance the merger in order to strengthen the sustainability of the Jersey City campus.

“As part of this process, NJCU is addressing a projected $25–$30 million budget gap, which requires difficult but necessary staffing reductions,” Thor said.

NJCU employees told The Jersey Vindicator that hundreds of CWA members received the same notice on Monday. The union did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Employees at NJCU told The Jersey Vindicator they took on significant additional workloads over the past 10 months to support the merger and were assured their union jobs would be protected, or that, at a minimum, they would receive six months’ notice if layoffs were necessary.

“Instead, we have been given approximately 45 days’ notice, with a final employment date of June 15,” one employee said.

Employees told The Jersey Vindicator what was portrayed to them as a merger was really an acquisition by Kean, and has come at a “significant human cost” to staff who helped sustain the university.

“Many employees feel they were intentionally misled until the deal was finalized,” one employee said. “There are civil service employees who have dedicated 20 to 30-plus years to NJCU. To be treated in this manner — misled, overworked, and then abruptly laid off — is devastating. Staff who have given decades of service are now left uncertain about their futures in an already difficult job market.”

Thor said both institutions have worked with collective bargaining units throughout the merger process to ensure compliance with state regulations and applicable labor agreements, and that a layoff plan has been reviewed and approved by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission.

“Kean and NJCU remain committed to supporting affected employees during this transition,” he said.

The general notice sent to all employees on April 27 informed them that they could be laid off or demoted “for reasons of economy and efficiency.” Employees whose positions are eliminated may have the right to displace employees in other positions because of civil service seniority rules.

Some employees received an individual letter from Acebo later that day notifying them they were being laid off.

New Jersey City University will hold its final commencement ceremony on May 19.

The merger still requires approval from the U.S. Department of Education.

The layoff notices