BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Stanford University is laying off 363 employees in response to an increased endowment tax and federal cuts to research funding.
The layoffs will take effect on Oct. 1 and affect all areas of the university, including research, administration and student services, according to a notice filed with the state.
Local officials are blaming President Donald Trump and worrying about the impact on the economy and health care.
Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” raised taxes on endowment gains from 1.4% to 21%, and he cut Stanford’s funding from the National Institutes of Health by around $160 million per year.
San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa said the layoffs are “a gut punch” to the local economy and to families struggling to make ends meet. Stanford’s main campus is in Santa Clara County, but the university has offices and a medical center in Redwood City and a lab in Menlo Park.
“Make no mistake, these cuts are the direct result of the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, a devastating piece of federal legislation that prioritizes politics over people,” Canepa said in a statement yesterday. “I stand with the workers, not with the ivory towers or reckless federal overreach.”
Stanford disclosed the layoffs in a letter on Thursday to the state’s Employment Development Department, which gives out unemployment checks.
“Ongoing economic uncertainty in 2025 has created serious operational and financial challenges for higher education institutions,” Vice President for Human Resources Elizabeth Zacharias said. “At Stanford, anticipated changes in federal policy — such as reductions in federal research funding and an increase in the excise tax on investment income — are expected to have significant budgetary consequences. These developments, along with rising operational costs, shifts in funding sources, and programmatic changes, have resulted in this workforce reduction.”
Zacharias provided a list of job titles that will be cut, including academic program managers, event planners, fire inspectors, librarians, senior scientists and software developers.
Affected employees received at least 60 days’ notice along with severance benefits, three months of continued health insurance and career transition services, Zacharias said.
Read the full story in tomorrow’s Daily Post.
So sad to hear. We rely on Stanford for new medical tests that successfully treat patients with rare diseases and cancer. Now we don’t know what’s gonna happen. A friend of mine had a rare case of blood cancer. Thanks to Stanford, he’s now alive. May big donors continue to support the school
The 363 employees and Stanford thanks you, Mr. President! Didn’t like the latest Labor Statistics job numbers huh?
Imagine how things would have been different if Stanford had made an effort to protect Jewish students from harassment. Before you start crying crocodile tears over these cuts, ask yourself if you want your tax dollars going to an organization that condones discrimination based on religion or race. Or maybe you’re proud of it?
These layoffs are going to cut the bloat. Between 1996 and 2023, the number of staff, or non-teaching employees, grew at an average rate of 382 new staff per year — 950 per year since 2019. The University’s staff-to-student ratio concurrently increased from 0.42 to 0.94 staff per student, higher than 46 out of the 50 top universities as ranked by the U.S. News and World report.
What public agencies were looking for qualified candidates? San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties might well benefit for this action. Have either of those counties, or any municipality within either, reached out to explore potential transitions of any of those affected by layoff notices.
I would hope that San Mateo County Supervisor Canepa, quoted in the article opining politic perspectives, has reached out personally and directed his staff to embrace this pool of prospective San Mateo County employees. Stray from the myopic. Broaden perspectives. Certainly San Mateo County (SMC) has openings in their various departments.
Mr. Canepa, seize the opportunity and help swing what appears to be an initial negative circumstance into a huge positive environment for those workers with whom you stand. Does SMC have an MOU with any of the Peninsula’s larger employers, like say Stanford, for layoff situations such as these? I ask you, shouldn’t SMC? Talk about emergency planning from a non-conventional perspective…