Radcliffe Lays Off Employees, Reduces Roles as Budget Pressures Grow

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study implemented a series of staffing cuts Wednesday, laying off employees and reducing positions as it grapples with mounting financial uncertainty.

The Institute laid off four employees, shifted three staff members to part-time roles, and eliminated eight vacant positions, according to a Radcliffe employee familiar with the matter.

In a Wednesday email to staff — which was obtained by The Crimson — Radcliffe Institute Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin described the decision as “painful,” citing “a wide range of federal actions targeting Harvard, cost pressures, and market volatility.”

She said Harvard’s central administration had directed units to pursue “structural cuts.”

“We will operate with substantial financial uncertainty for the foreseeable future — years, not months — and we have been asked to respond accordingly,” Brown-Nagin wrote. “These actions are intended to safeguard the Institute’s future and our ability to continue to advance important work.”

The staffing changes follow a series of earlier cost-cutting measures, including a hiring freeze, a salary freeze for non-union employees, and the elimination of vacant roles.

Brown-Nagin said the reductions came after “careful financial and strategic planning” conducted with department heads.

Employees whose roles were affected were notified earlier Wednesday, and the Institute is providing severance pay, career transition support, and other assistance, according to the email.

The cuts come as Harvard faces mounting financial pressure. A newly enacted eight percent tax on large university endowments could cost the University more than $200 million a year. The Radcliffe Institute heavily relies on endowment income, which accounts for roughly 86 percent of its revenue.

Radcliffe currently employs roughly 100 people.

Harvard also reported a $113 million deficit last year — its first since the pandemic — on $6.7 billion in total revenue. Federal scrutiny has intensified in recent months, including a lawsuit filed last month by the Department of Justice alleging violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and seeking to recover federal funds.

Other areas of the University have taken similar steps to prepare for financial strain. Last year, Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences instructed professors to develop contingency plans for potential budget shortfalls driven by federal funding uncertainty.

Departments were asked to plan for cuts of up to 20 percent and consider reducing their physical footprint, including office space.

A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment on the layoffs at Radcliffe, pointing instead to an October message from Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 announcing a hiring freeze, layoffs, and limits on spending.

Despite the cuts, Brown-Nagin emphasized that the Institute’s challenges reflect broader strains across higher education.

“We are all aware of the profound challenges we continue to face—here at Radcliffe, across the University, and throughout higher education,” Brown-Nagin wrote.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at megblon.50. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Staff writer Graham W. Lee can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @grahamwonlee.