Colorado State University System’s board approved a fiscal 2027 budget that reduces spending across its two physical campuses, setting up staff layoffs and position eliminations as the state keeps higher education funding flat. CSU Fort Collins is slated for $35.8 million in “strategic cuts,” including layoffs estimated at 0.5% of the workforce, plus savings from eliminating vacant roles. The board’s action lands as Colorado’s constitutional budget constraints and a projected state deficit shape higher education’s environment. CSU leadership said flat funding did not keep pace with cost increases, while also aiming to preserve tuition-linked financial aid for students with greatest need. At CSU Pueblo, the system’s adjustments include layoffs equivalent to nearly nine full-time roles and closing eight vacant positions, alongside a $1 million athletics cut and tuition increases capped at 3.5% for in-state students. The measures reflect how public systems are responding when state appropriations do not cover inflation and enrollment-related cost pressures. For campus operations and workforce planning, the decision provides a near-term roadmap: staffing reductions are being paired with targeted tuition changes and continued emphasis on student service support for persistence and graduation.