Harvard Lays Off 55 Alumni Affairs and Development Office Staff Amid Budget Strain

Harvard laid off 55 staff members in its Alumni Affairs and Development office on Tuesday, citing budget constraints — the latest in a series of staff layoffs as the University faces mounting financial pressure.

In a Tuesday email announcing the decision to employees, AA&D Vice President James J. “Jim” Husson said the layoffs followed continued budgetary strain and came after earlier cost-cutting efforts, including a pause on merit-based wage increases and limits on hiring. The email, which was obtained by The Crimson, did not rule out further layoffs.

“We could not meet our budget reduction goals without reducing positions,” Husson wrote in the email. “With our new organizational structure now in place, and with input from the managers who will lead these teams going forward, we have made difficult but necessary decisions to ensure AA&D’s sustainability.”

Harvard Alumni Association spokesperson Cameron Wolfsen declined to comment on the layoffs, instead directing The Crimson to Husson’s Tuesday message to staff.

The AA&D layoffs are the latest in a series of austerity measures as Harvard prepares for a potential increase to the federal tax on large university endowments, which could cost the University upwards of $200 million annually. In the fall, Harvard laid off 35 staff members at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and 38 information technology workers. The Harvard Kennedy School and School of Public Health also laid off workers earlier last year.

The layoffs did not come as a complete surprise for AA&D employees, who had been informed of potential cuts in the summer, according to a person familiar with the situation. In January, Husson informed employees that layoffs would take place by the end of March, the person said.

When employees were notified of the layoffs on Tuesday, however, they did not immediately know whether their positions had been cut. Instead, according to Husson’s email, employees whose roles were cut would receive separate invitations to meet with human resources staff.

During those meetings, HR staff and managers again cited budget pressures as the reason for the layoffs but did not provide additional details, the person said.

Some of the laid-off employees are represented by Harvard’s union of clerical and technical workers.

HUCTW President Simone Gonzalez wrote in a statement that the union was aware of the layoffs and attending to affected union employees.

“As opposed to engaging in incredibly harmful staffing cuts, we believe that the University should be investing in its Alumni Affairs and Development department, especially at this moment when AA&D is exceeding its fundraising goals and doing so much to help the larger Harvard community,” Gonzalez wrote. “We are in the process of planning our next actions.”

—Staff writer Amann S. Mahajan can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at amannsm.38. Follow her on X @amannmahajan.