DePaul University cut 114 staff—nearly 8 percent of its workforce—to close a $12.6 million shortfall driven largely by a precipitous drop in international graduate enrollment. University leaders cited a 62 percent year‑over‑year decline in new international graduate students and increased institutional aid needs as primary drivers of the gap. The DePaul reductions mirror a wider pattern: state systems and public institutions across the country are reviewing and eliminating low‑enrollment programs, suspending degrees, and pursuing consolidations to close operating deficits. Recent board actions include program eliminations and campus consolidations prompted by enrollment falls and tighter state funding. Institutional leaders warn that trimming programs and staff may stabilize short‑term finances but risks limiting curricular breadth and regional access. Trustees and faculty are confronting politically sensitive choices about which programs to preserve, and how to balance mission with immediate financial restraints.