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Middlesex Community College president reports 4% enrollment gain, warns of multi‑year deficit and hiring freeze
Summary
Campus president Dr. Joshua Moon Johnson said enrollment is up 4% year over year but the college is operating in a multi‑year deficit from state funding shortfalls, prompting a temporary hiring freeze and reliance on Connecticut State petitions to fill only critical roles.
Dr. Joshua Moon Johnson, campus president at Middlesex Community College, told staff the campus is seeing a 4% enrollment increase from this time last year but is operating under state-driven budget challenges that will keep the college in a deficit for the coming years.
Johnson said the enrollment rise is "super exciting" and credited staff efforts while warning that continued state funding shortfalls have left the campus in a multi‑year deficit and under a hiring freeze. He said the college can petition Connecticut State to fill vacant positions that meet critical operational needs.
The president thanked the advising office, financial aid office and the one‑stop center for helping students transition into the fall term and encouraged employees to help students succeed. He also urged faculty to complete Blackboard Ultra training that is coming soon.
Johnson outlined an 18‑month strategic planning process led at the Connecticut State level that will involve all campuses through committees, surveys, listening sessions and focus groups; he said campus priorities for the next 12–18 months will be identified through an abbreviated process. He asked staff to watch for email invitations and to participate in an all‑campus meeting and related planning activities.
Other operational updates included a campus events platform called Engage to list student activities and events, and reminders about upcoming cultural and inclusion events.
The college plans a convocation on Jan. 22, 2026, with guest speaker Lisonbee Posey presenting on neurodiversity to help create a more welcoming environment for neurodivergent students and staff. Johnson closed by wishing employees a strong semester and asking them to take part in the planning process.
