We have not been provided sufficient documented proof of the University’s condition of financial exigency. However, on August 8, 2025, Provost Nesbitt confirmed to the AAUP-Utica that Utica University has declared Financial Exigency. Further, she confirmed that Utica University is facing “a severe financial crisis that fundamentally compromises the academic integrity of the institution as a whole…” (AAUP Policies and Best Practices).

This information is in direct contrast to the information conveyed by the administration during the Spring 2025 semester, including:

1. President Pfannestiel’s Financial Town Hall meeting in February
2. Reports by President Pfannestiel and Provost Nesbitt at four different faculty senate meetings
3. Financial subcommittee meetings of the Board of Trustees where AAUP-Utica guests were present
4. Monthly meetings between the University President and the AAUP-Utica President
5. Monthly Meet-and-Discuss meetings between the University President, Provost, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Human Resources, AAUP-Utica President and AAUP-Utica Vice President
6. Meetings about Middle States accreditation and the Self-Study Design
7. Institutional Effectiveness Plan updates
8. President Pfannestiel’s three “Re-Envisioning of Utica University” dinners

At no point during the Spring semester was it made clear that the University was on the brink of a financial crisis.

Throughout the semester, we repeatedly asked the right questions, and we were continually misled.

It wasn’t until a meeting on June 5, between some members of the AAUP-Utica leadership and President Pfannestiel, after hours of persistent questioning, that the AAUP-Utica sensed a financial crisis might be looming behind the picture that was presented to the University community in Spring 2025. Before, during, and shortly after this meeting, the AAUP-Utica asked for additional financial information to get an accurate understanding of the University’s financial situation and to verify claims made during this meeting. These requests were met with silence or denied.

On July 1, the provost emailed the AAUP-Utica president to notify the AAUP-Utica that the University was planning to begin retrenching full-time faculty because of “financially exigent circumstances.” Subsequently, we learned that on June 20, less than two months after approving a 2025-26 budget with a surplus, the Board of Trustees held an executive session and approved a resolution directing the University President “to issue a retrenchment notice to the Utica University chapter of the AAUP due to financially exigent circumstances.”

Almost two months since that resolution was passed, the University leadership has still not openly communicated this financial emergency to the University community.

The conclusion we must come to is twofold:

1. The administration’s pattern of poor communication with faculty, staff, and the broader Utica University community has served to obscure the truth.
2. Utica University is facing a financial crisis, the scope of which is still unknown.

Despite repeated pressure from the AAUP-Utica to communicate openly and transparently with its stakeholders, the administration has given no indication it will change its behavior.

What is clear is that this pattern of behavior goes beyond a labor dispute. This is concerning for anyone with a vested interest in our institution. It is unclear if the University plans to seek help from, and work with, those of us who are greatly invested in this University.

The AAUP-Utica has been told repeatedly that no retrenchment plan currently exists, nor is there a list of bargaining unit members to be retrenched. However, we have also been told that after August 30, the University plans to create a list of bargaining unit members to retrench. Given the inadequate communication and the lack of transparency over the past several months, we unfortunately cannot predict what the administration will do in the weeks and months ahead.

The administration’s repeated violations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and lack of consultation suggest a disturbing disregard for our collectively bargained agreements. As a union, we must be prepared for the possibility that the University will not honor its commitments under the CBA. Please be assured that if the administration violates the CBA—for example, through an improper mass firing of 30-50 full-time faculty after August 30—the Union will immediately grieve those violations, take them to arbitration if necessary, and fight to defend your rights and protections that we have collectively bargained.

In our research, we’ve found that a declaration of financial exigency does not have to be a death sentence. Instead, it can be a powerful opportunity to rally the support of those most invested in a university’s survival. When leaders show courage and are transparent, help can come from unexpected places. But for that to happen, the administration must first be willing to engage in open and honest conversations.

For the good of this institution, we must demand transparency, we must demand shared governance, and we must demand the truth.

We will be posting comprehensive information shortly, including a timeline, which we plan to update regularly, here: https://aauputica.org/saveutica/

For those of you who are AAUP-Utica dues-paying members, you will be receiving another email shortly about an important General Membership meeting next week.

In solidarity,

Leonore