By Shay Lelonek / News Director

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State University President Gregory Tomso is focused on bringing the community together and right-sizing the school through his strategic plan. 

During a community event on Monday, November 2, close to 700 community members, alumni, students, and local officials listened as university leaders talked about what the school is facing and a path forward. 

Tomso outlined his “unsexiest strategic plan” during the event, which focuses on student success, enrollment, community, workforce, accountability, and discipline. 

The plan outlines a focus on student success, enrollment, community, workforce, accountability, and discipline. 

Enrollment has faced a steady decline over the last 16 years. At its 2010 peak, SCSU had 18,650 students on campus. This fall, enrollment fell 51% to 9,143 students. Because of those declines, the university had to face difficult decisions. Since 2023, 189 programs were discontinued or suspended, causing layoffs of SCSU faculty and staff. In the last year alone, Tomso has implemented $9.6 million in recurring budget cuts and another $3 million in spending controls and savings. 

“I want to acknowledge that these are not abstract numbers,” Tomso said. “They represent people, programs, traditions, and extremely difficult decisions.” 

To combat the decline of enrollment, SCSU is working with School District 742 to build educational pathways and career readiness, St. Cloud Technical and Community College to make transfer pathways easier, and St. Cloud CentraCare for new student research opportunities. 

Campus Construction & Demolition

Also included in those changes are plans to demolish campus buildings that aren’t used and are filled with asbestos, mold, and a large amount of underground utilities that are falling apart. Tomso outlined that for every dollar they spend on demolition, the university gets $6 back in savings from reduced maintenance costs. 

Some buildings planned for demolition include the Performing Arts Center, which closed in December 2024, the old education building, and the Kiehle Visual Arts Center.

However, campus demolitions aren’t the only plans for changes on campus. The city of St. Cloud was approved for a state bond of $6.4 million. $3.4 million of that will go towards upgrading 5th Avenue South, which is the main road to get to campus. 

“It’s going to mean improved walkability, improved bikeability, and improved access to the waterfront around campus,” Tomso told KVSC in a short interview after the event on Monday.

Tomso said construction is planned to start in 2028, and construction could impact the 2028-2029 school year. 

Other notes… 

• Granite Partners Founder and SCSU’s Community Advisory Board Co-Founder Rick Bauerly mentioned SCSU has received $7.5 million in community pledges in the last 6 months, which is 75% of the way towards matching the $10 million Minnesota State Pledge. 
• The university will hold an event on February 5th in the Atwood Memorial Center called the “Powering of Human Collaboration Conference.” Tomso told KVSC this event will be “partly a job fair, partly a networking event, and partly a symposium where we talk about a timely topic.”