Public universities across the U.S. are closing out spring with hiring freezes, staff cuts, and program restructuring as budget shortfalls collide with enrollment pressure and uncertainty in federal research funding. The University of Oregon announced a hiring freeze and pay freeze while it works to close a projected $65 million structural deficit linked to lower out-of-state enrollment and tuition revenue. Portland State University proposed eliminating 52 faculty and staff positions and two academic departments to address a $35 million gap, including targeting 12 tenured faculty members. Colorado State University System leaders also moved to trim budgets by not filling vacant positions and eliminating 0.5% of the workforce, while approving a 3.5% undergraduate tuition increase. Elsewhere, Bowie State University cut 79 positions to close an $18 million deficit, and the University of Maryland, College Park imposed a hiring freeze and expects up to 150 position eliminations amid a more than 10% drop in state support and rising costs. These actions underscore how quickly institutional risk planning is shifting from enrollment management to workforce and academic portfolio decisions as leaders respond to deficits before fall enrollment and state budget cycles.