The loss of federal funds had threatened to create a $30 million deficit at Brown, which was already running a $46 million deficit. The university, which charges students more than $93,000 annually—one of the highest in the nation—relies heavily on its endowment to cover shortfalls.
The layoffs point to longstanding debate over misuse of Brown’s administrative spending. Alex Shieh, a former Brown student, told Fox News that these layoffs prove “many of these administrators were unnecessary in the first place.”
Alex Shieh founded Bloat@Brown, an interactive database analyzing administrator roles for legality, redundancy, and job value. Examples included executive assistants, multiple staffers assigned to alumni magazine ads, and even a household assistant for the university president. He argued that legally questionable DEI programs and an expanding bureaucracy have driven tuition higher, diverting resources away from education itself.
Shieh sees Brown’s staff reductions as an essential win for students who are struggling to afford the increasingly ridiculous cost of attending elite Northeastern universities like Brown. For example, Yale University’s tuition rose from about $47,600 in 2015 to $67,250 in 2025, a 41.3 percent increase.