Credit: Bryn Athyn College.
In a sudden and shocking move, Bryn Athyn College is getting rid of all 11 of its NCAA sports teams and its club hockey team as part of cost cutting measures.
President Sean Connelly made the announcement in a letter posted on the Bryn Athyn Athletics' website. All programs will be cut after the conclusion of the 2025 season.
"After a comprehensive review of our financial position, we have made difficult —but essential—changes to protect our core academic offerings and position the College for sustainable growth," Connelly said in the letter.
Many students were caught off guard and shocked by the announcement. Many student-athletes at Bryn Athyn play multiple sports and now the future of a large percentage of the student body is up in the air.
"We had no idea this was going to happen," Sean Scalen, a sophomore who plays soccer and lacrosse, told CBS News. "It's looking like I am going to have to transfer to a place I don't even know. I'm going to have to start all over."
According to Connelly, since 2007, Bryn Athyn College’s total cumulative operating deficit is $48.7 million and a "true deficit" of $3.4 million.
"You really notice it with a small school because everyone is always coming out to everyone's games," Junior Connor Walmsley, who plays ice hockey and lacrosse, said in the CBS feature. "It's a close-knit community between the athletes here, and it's tough that they're just ripping that right away."
The cuts will also apply to 29 full-time employees associated with the athletic programs who will now be out of job.
"I took a decisive step by reducing the equivalent of 20 full-time positions (FTE), impacting 29 individuals —colleagues who have given much of their lives to this place, and whose absence will be deeply felt," Connelly added.
According to the letter, Connelly said that athletic expenses (those without football programs) should comprise roughly 3% of an institution’s budget. Bryn Athyn's "stands at 12% and climbs as high as 21% when accounting for overhead," wrote Connelly.
"This level of financial expenditure is unsustainable," Connelly said in the letter.
Cuts to Other Programs
In the same announcement, Connelly said the College is eliminating four full-time employees from the Information Technology Department, and five full-time positions will be eliminated with the reorganizing and streamlining of the following departments:
"This is hard. But the deeper injustice would be to ignore reality and jeopardize the future of our beloved College," Connelly said.
