# St. Cloud State *Public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system* St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in [[St. Cloud]], [[Minnesota]], and one of the largest campuses in the [[Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system]]. The university's own history page dates its origin to 1869, when it opened as the Third State Normal School.[^1][^2] For fall 2023, Wikipedia gives an enrollment of 8,430 undergraduate and 2,084 graduate students.[^2] Since 2019 the documented record has been one of contraction. The faculty union reported that eight tenured positions were cut in 2019. Six degree programs and 37 positions were cut in 2023, and a 2024 round reduced programs and faculty further.[^3][^4][^5] Over the same period, the university's own factbook records headcount falling from 13,466 in fall 2018 to 9,646 in fall 2025.[^6] In *Portz v. St. Cloud State University*, a federal district court found a [[Title IX]] participation-opportunities violation in 2019 and held the university in contempt in 2020. On October 28, 2021, the Eighth Circuit affirmed the participation violation and reversed other findings.[^7][^8][^9] Budget strain appears in the record well before these years. An [[Office of the Legislative Auditor (Minnesota)]] audit dated April 26, 2001, reported a projected deficit of approximately $4 million for fiscal year 2001.[^10] ## Who - SCSU is a public institution within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its first faculty numbered five and was led by Principal Ira Moore.[^2] - The Inter Faculty Organization (IFO), the faculty union, issued a statement on September 17, 2019, about that year's retrenchment. The statement asserts that the administration "violated the IFO contract."[^3] This is a union allegation, not an adjudicated finding. The record assembled here does not establish an arbitration award, a [[Bureau of Mediation Services]] docket, or an unfair-labor-practice charge arising from the 2023 or 2024 rounds.[^3] - The Legislative Reference Library record for former state senator David Kleis lists a B.A. from St. Cloud State University. Kleis represented Senate District 16 from 1995 to 2002 and District 15 from 2003 to 2005. He served as Assistant Minority Leader in the 82nd and 83rd Legislatures and sat on committees including [[Crime Prevention and Public Safety]] and [[Children, Families and Learning]]. The record also lists [[U.S. Air Force]] and Air Force Reserve service.[^11] ## What ### Retrenchment - **2019.** According to the IFO statement, eight tenured positions were cut. The union said the data offered to justify the cuts was "incomplete and does not meet the standard to justify retrenchment."[^3] That year SCSU also announced it would end men's football and men's and women's golf. It said it would add men's soccer to keep its athletics program compliant with Title IX.[^2] - **2023.** Inside Higher Ed reported that six degree programs and 37 positions would be cut against a projected shortfall of $18.3 million.[^4] - **2024.** The Star Tribune and Higher Ed Dive reported a round targeting roughly 90 programs and 54 faculty.[^5][^12] Wikipedia breaks the cuts down as follows: - 42 degree programs and 50 minors; - 54 full-time faculty, 42 staff, and four administrative positions; - about 52% of programs in the College of Education and Learning Design and 42% in the College of Liberal Arts.[^2] - **Programs spared.** After community and faculty pushback, four programs were spared, Higher Ed Dive reported. The cuts were contested and partly reversed.[^12] ### Title IX litigation - On August 1, 2019, the district court in *Portz* found that the university had violated Title IX's participation-opportunities requirement.[^9][^7] - On July 6, 2020, the court held the university in contempt for restricting the women's tennis team's access to coaching and competition in violation of its injunction. The court awarded $10,000 to each of two women's teams.[^9][^8] - On October 28, 2021, in Nos. 19-2921 and 20-1366, the Eighth Circuit: - affirmed the participation-opportunities violation; - reversed the treatment-and-benefits findings; - vacated an attorney-fee award of more than $1 million; - remanded the case.[^7][^8] ## When - **1869:** The Third State Normal School opens in the Stearns House.[^1][^2] - **1874:** Old Main opens, and the Stearns House is converted to a dormitory later that year.[^2] - **1898:** A junior college curriculum is offered.[^2] - **1914:** The secondary education program is ended.[^2] - **1921:** The [[Legislature]] authorizes renaming the school St. Cloud State Teachers College.[^2] - **1925:** The first bachelor's degrees are awarded.[^2] - **1957:** "Teachers" is removed from the name.[^2] - **1975:** The institution becomes a university of five colleges and a graduate school.[^2] - **April 26, 2001:** The Legislative Auditor issues its financial-compliance audit for FY1999–2000.[^10] - **2007:** Applied doctoral degrees are first offered.[^2] - **August 1, 2019:** The district court finds a Title IX participation violation.[^9] - **September 17, 2019:** The IFO issues its retrenchment statement.[^3] - **July 6, 2020:** The district court issues its contempt order.[^9] - **October 28, 2021:** The Eighth Circuit decides both appeals.[^7][^8] - **April 24, 2023:** The 2023 round of cuts is reported.[^4] - **October 7, 2025:** Fall 2025 headcount is measured.[^6] ## Where - The campus is in St. Cloud. The school's first building, the Stearns House, was a renovated former hotel that the state Legislature bought for $3,000.[^2] ## Why - Wikipedia attributes the university's financial problems to its steep enrollment decline.[^2] - The Star Tribune reports a structural deficit of roughly $6 million in 2019, growing to roughly $24 million after federal COVID relief expired.[^13] - The faculty union disputed the data used to justify the 2019 cuts.[^3] - The record does not establish a single cause. It does show a projected deficit two decades earlier, in the 2001 audit.[^10] ## How much - **2001 audit.** The Legislative Auditor's audit of FY1999–2000 projected an FY2001 deficit of approximately $4 million and made fourteen findings.[^10] The findings included: - beverage-contract revenue routed to the university foundation without a formal policy; - more than $930,000 left uncollected from a bookstore operator that later went bankrupt.[^10] - **2023 figures.** For 2023, Inside Higher Ed reported an $18.3 million projected shortfall, while Wikipedia gives a net loss of $18 million.[^4][^2] - **2024 figures.** Wikipedia gives a budget deficit of $14.4 million for 2024.[^2] - ***Portz* awards.** The case produced $10,000 awards to each of two women's teams. A fee award of more than $1 million was vacated on appeal.[^9][^7] ## How many - **University headcount.** The university's factbook records headcount of 13,466 in fall 2018 and 9,646 in fall 2025. The fall 2025 figure was measured on October 7, 2025, and was down 5.1% from the prior year.[^6] - **Other enrollment measures.** Other sources use different measures and give different figures: - Wikipedia gives a decline from roughly 18,000 in 2010 to roughly 10,000 in 2024. Of the 2024 figure, about 5,000 were traditional full-time students and about 2,500 were students under 18 in PSEO courses.[^2] - The [[Star Tribune]] reports full-year-equivalent enrollment falling from approximately 15,100 at its peak around 2010 to approximately 7,300 in fall 2023. It compares this with a decline of approximately 6% at [[Minnesota State University–Mankato]].[^13] ## In the at-issue record The project's at-issue record contains three items naming the university. - **Retrenchment, 2019–2024.** The first item pairs the three rounds of cuts with the union's 2019 objection to the justifying data.[^3][^4][^5] It is anchored to the March 2025 presidential action *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos*.[^14] - **Programs spared.** The second item records that four programs were spared after pushback and carries the same anchor.[^12][^14] - ***Portz*.** The third item concerns the *Portz* contempt finding and appellate affirmance and is anchored to the January 2025 action *Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity*.[^15] The item dates the Eighth Circuit affirmance to 2019. The court's opinions are dated October 28, 2021, and this article follows the opinions.[^7][^8] These presidential actions are the project's anchors. The record here contains no pending federal complaint or agency finding against the university.[^14][^15] ## Notes [^1]: St. Cloud State University, *History* (undated) — founding in 1869 as the Third State Normal School. https://www.stcloudstate.edu/about/history/ [^2]: Wikipedia, *St. Cloud State University* (revision 1368429461, retrieved October 27, 2026; CC BY-SA 4.0) — institutional chronology, enrollment, budget, cuts and athletics summary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Cloud_State_University [^3]: Inter Faculty Organization, *Statement on St. Cloud State retrenchment* (September 17, 2019) — eight tenured positions cut; the union's allegation that the administration "violated the IFO contract" and that the justifying data was "incomplete and does not meet the standard to justify retrenchment." https://www.ifo.org/ifo-updates/2019/9/17/statement-on-st-cloud-state-retrenchment [^4]: Inside Higher Ed, *Quick Takes* (April 24, 2023) — six degree programs and 37 positions to be cut against an $18.3 million projected shortfall. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2023/04/24/six-programs-37-jobs-be-cut-st-cloud-state [^5]: Star Tribune, *report on St. Cloud State's deepened program and faculty cuts* (date not in pack) — 2024 round of program and faculty cuts. https://www.startribune.com/st-cloud-state-deepens-previously-announced-cuts-to-programs-faculty/600278407 [^6]: St. Cloud State University, *2025 Fall University Factbook* (census October 7, 2025) — headcount of 13,466 (fall 2018) to 9,646 (fall 2025), down 5.1% year over year. https://www.stcloudstate.edu/air/_files/documents/reports/factbook/2025-fall-university-factbook.pdf [^7]: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, *Portz v. St. Cloud State University*, No. 19-2921 (October 28, 2021) — affirms the Title IX participation-opportunities violation; reverses the treatment-and-benefits findings; vacates the fee award exceeding $1 million; remands. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca8/19-2921/19-2921-2021-10-28.html [^8]: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, *Portz v. St. Cloud State University*, No. 20-1366 (October 28, 2021) — companion appeal decided the same day. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca8/20-1366/20-1366-2021-10-28.html [^9]: AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund, *Portz v. SCSU* (case page, undated) — district court participation-violation finding (August 1, 2019); contempt order (July 6, 2020); $10,000 to each of two women's teams. https://www.aauw.org/resources/legal/laf/current-cases__trashed/portz-v-scsu/ [^10]: Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor, *Financial-compliance audit, St. Cloud State University, FY1999–2000* (April 26, 2001) — projected FY2001 deficit of approximately $4 million; fourteen findings, including beverage-contract revenue routed to the foundation without formal policy and more than $930,000 uncollected from a bookstore operator. https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/fad/access/01-20.htm [^11]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Legislators Past & Present: David Kleis* (undated) — Senate service, leadership post, committees, B.A. from St. Cloud State University, Air Force service. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10326 [^12]: Higher Ed Dive, *report on St. Cloud State's final program cuts and faculty reduction* (date not in pack) — 2024 round; four programs spared after pushback. https://www.highereddive.com/news/st-cloud-state-final-program-cuts-faculty-reduction/718784/ [^13]: Star Tribune, *What happened to St. Cloud State University?* (date not in pack) — full-year-equivalent enrollment, Mankato comparison, structural deficit figures. https://www.startribune.com/what-happened-to-st-cloud-state-university/601140137 [^14]: The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025) — presidential action used as the anchor for at-issue items AI-Stearns-030 and -031. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^15]: The White House, *Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity* (January 2025) — presidential action used as the anchor for at-issue item AI-Stearns-032. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/