Colleges across the country are preparing additional budget reductions as enrollment softness and new federal policies squeeze margins. Yale’s recent announcement of a fresh round of budget cuts—cited in reporting as linked to the new endowment tax—warned that layoffs may be necessary. At Rider University, leaders responded to accreditation pressure by proposing steep measures including a 20% reduction in full-time faculty and salary cuts; the president said prior rounds of cuts were “nowhere near enough.” > Yale Provost Scott Strobel and Rider President John R. Loyack were named sources in coverage that frames these moves as fiscal triage tied to both federal funding uncertainty and institutional missteps. Faculty governance bodies at multiple campuses have pushed back, warning of reputational damage and departures of key faculty. > Higher-education finance analysts say the combination of enrollment declines, unexpected policy shifts, and accreditation probes is prompting defensive cost-savings that could harm academic capacity and long-term student outcomes unless paired with strategic revenue plans.