Denise Bostdorff
Contributing Writer
I don’t think anyone wants to fire people, and it’s true that the College is under enormous financial pressures. That said, last week’s firings were extremely problematic. The president did nothing to prepare people for what was coming. In fact, at a faculty meeting last Monday [Feb 2, 2026], President McCall was asked point blank if faculty or staff members would be losing their jobs and, if so, when she would inform them. She skirted the issue, even though she clearly knew that 22 staff members were going to be fired just a few days later. By practice at Wooster and as required by Statute, past presidents have consulted with the Strategic Planning and Priorities Advisory Committee (SPPAC) on questions of strategy and resource allocation, including during financial challenges. SPPAC reports that no such consultation took place.
Moreover, some of the firings are strategically suspect. APEX has been the crown jewel of the College, but it has just been gutted, and the timing of February couldn’t be worse. As students burnish their resumes looking for internships, they find two key personnel at Career Services gone. Seniors finishing Independent Studies (I.S.) no longer have the tutor at the Academic Resource Center and/or the staff member at the writing center who was helping them at this critical time. The colleagues of those fired had no opportunity to plan for the departures and, instead, have had to scramble to do both their own jobs and those of their former colleagues. And all of this is playing out in a very public way during a crucial admissions period.
Finally, there is the question of basic humanity. Many organizations announce forthcoming layoffs so people have time to plan and say goodbye. While President McCall’s email to the campus stated that the firings were “not a reflection of individual performance or value,” the shabby way in which staff members were dismissed and summarily removed from campus sent the message that the College cared very little about the effect of layoffs on these people who have given so much of their time, energy and heart to this institution, nor the impact on the students, staff and faculty left behind.
Remaining staff members will take heroic measures to meet student needs because that’s the kind of people they are. While no one will ever welcome layoffs, even when they are necessitated, everything about this episode has left both the campus — and President McCall’s credibility — in tatters.