Latest news with #stafflayoffs
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Gateway Church cutting services amid decreased attendance and challenges with founder Robert Morris
Gateway Church will eliminate Saturday services at most of its campuses as it continues to navigate its future after founder Robert Morris' resignation amid a child sex abuse investigation, according to information and documents obtained by CBS News Texas. On Tuesday, CBS News Texas learned that Gateway had begun telling volunteers it will start eliminating the Saturday services at the end of the month. In an email obtained by CBS News Texas, the Southlake-based megachurch said the change comes in part due to decreased attendance and the desire to consolidate Sunday services. The church is also dealing with a drop in donations after Morris' resignation. CBS News Texas has reached out to the church for a statement but has not yet received one. Gateway Church announces staff layoffs Gateway previously said it would lay off some staff, which could begin later this month. In a letter to the congregation, Gateway elders said tithing "has not mirrored attendance" due to the issues with Morris. The letter assured members that despite the challenges, the church maintains strong financial and accounting records. But after church leadership evaluated the situation, they determined "restructuring of our staff is necessary, requiring the tough but necessary step of staff reduction." Sexual abuse allegations against Morris In March 2025, Oklahoma prosecutors charged Morris with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child stemming from the allegations made by the victim, Clemishire. Morris has since pleaded not guilty. Clemishire claims Morris abused her from the age of 12 to 17. Morris was a traveling evangelist in his 20s and had become close to Clemishire's family. When the story broke, Gateway church elders said Morris disclosed to them he'd had an extramarital affair, but not that he had allegedly abused a young girl. Morris and the church had also said that Morris underwent "a two-year restoration process" that included him "stepping out of the ministry during that period." On June 12, Clemishire and her father filed a lawsuit against Morris, his wife and several current and former Gateway leaders, alleging that they knew about Morris' deceit. "For almost 40 years, Robert Morris and the leadership at Gateway have tried to blame me and put this in a flippant light of a relationship instead of what it was-a brutal crime against a 12-year-old child," said Clemishire. "My childhood and the woman I would have become died that day in 1982. The person who abused me and the people who blatantly covered it up deserve to be held accountable. My hope is that bringing awareness to my case will help other victims and survivors feel hope, because the person who did this to me-and the people who enabled him and covered it up for decades-are being held accountable." Legal battle between Gateway and Morris Legal documents filed in May revealed that 63-year-old Morris is demanding millions of dollars in payment and retirement benefits from the church following his 2024 resignation. He stepped away after allegations resurfaced that he sexually abused a 12-year-old girl, identified as Cindy Clemishire, in the 1980s. Church lawyers wrote in the court filing that "amid the chaos of his conduct had unleashed upon Gateway and his community, Morris was laser-focused on securing his financial future." In September 2024, Morris' attorney sent a letter to Gateway that included a demand of more than $1 million that had accrued in Morris's retirement account, and claimed that the elders verbally promised him a retirement benefit of $800,000 per year until he turned 70. However, according to a retirement compensation agreement included in the court filing, the church would pay Morris $170,000 per year for 20 years.
CNA
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Columbia lays off nearly 180 after Trump pulled US$400 million over antisemitism
NEW YORK: Columbia University said Tuesday (May 6) that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump's decision to cancel US$400 million in funding over the Manhattan college's handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices represent about 20 per cent of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said. 'We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,' the university said. 'Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.' Officials are working with the Trump administration in the hopes of getting the funding restored, they said, but the university will still pull back spending because of uncertainty and strain on its budget. Officials said the university will be scaling back research, with some departments winding down activities and others maintaining some level of research while pursuing alternate funding. In March, the Trump administration pulled the funding over what it described as the Ivy League school's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Within weeks, Columbia capitulated to demands laid out by the Republican administration as a starting point for restoring the funding. Among the requirements was overhauling the university's student disciplinary process, banning campus protesters from wearing masks, barring demonstrations from academic buildings, adopting a new definition of antisemitism and putting the Middle Eastern studies program under the supervision of a vice provost who would have a say over curriculum and hiring. Columbia was at the forefront of US campus protests over the war last spring. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of protests nationally. Trump, when he retook the White House in January, moved swiftly to cut federal money to colleges and universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism.
CNA
06-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Columbia lays off nearly 180 after Trump pulled $400M over antisemitism
NEW YORK: Columbia University said Tuesday (May 6) that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump's decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college's handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices represent about 20 per cent of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said. 'We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,' the university said. 'Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.' Officials are working with the Trump administration in the hopes of getting the funding restored, they said, but the university will still pull back spending because of uncertainty and strain on its budget. Officials said the university will be scaling back research, with some departments winding down activities and others maintaining some level of research while pursuing alternate funding. In March, the Trump administration pulled the funding over what it described as the Ivy League school's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Within weeks, Columbia capitulated to demands laid out by the Republican administration as a starting point for restoring the funding. Among the requirements was overhauling the university's student disciplinary process, banning campus protesters from wearing masks, barring demonstrations from academic buildings, adopting a new definition of antisemitism and putting the Middle Eastern studies program under the supervision of a vice provost who would have a say over curriculum and hiring. Columbia was at the forefront of US campus protests over the war last spring. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of protests nationally. Trump, when he retook the White House in January, moved swiftly to cut federal money to colleges and universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism.
Washington Post
06-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Columbia University lays off nearly 180 after Trump pulled $400M over his antisemitism concerns
NEW YORK — Columbia University said Tuesday that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump's decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college's handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices Tuesday represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said in a statement Tuesday . 'We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,' the university said. 'Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.' Advertisement Officials are working with the Trump administration in the hopes of getting the funding restored, they said, but the university will still pull back spending because of uncertainty and strain on its budget. Advertisement Officials said the university will be scaling back research, with some departments winding down activities and others maintaining some level of research while pursuing alternate funding. In March, the Trump administration pulled the funding over what it described as the Ivy League school's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Within weeks, Columbia capitulated to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration as a starting point for restoring the funding. Advertisement Among the requirements was overhauling the university's student disciplinary process, banning campus protesters from wearing masks, barring demonstrations from academic buildings, adopting a new definition of antisemitism and putting the Middle Eastern studies program under the supervision of a vice provost who would have a say over curriculum and hiring. Advertisement After Columbia announced the changes, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the university was ' on the right track ,' but declined to say when or if Columbia's funding would be restored. Spokespersons for the federal education department didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. Columbia was at the forefront of U.S. campus protests over the war last spring. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally.
Associated Press
06-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Columbia University lays off nearly 180 after Trump pulled $400M over his antisemitism concerns
NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University said Tuesday that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump's decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college's handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices Tuesday represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said in a statement Tuesday . 'We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,' the university said. 'Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.' Officials are working with the Trump administration in the hopes of getting the funding restored, they said, but the university will still pull back spending because of uncertainty and strain on its budget. Officials said the university will be scaling back research, with some departments winding down activities and others maintaining some level of research while pursuing alternate funding. In March, the Trump administration pulled the funding over what it described as the Ivy League school's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Within weeks, Columbia capitulated to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration as a starting point for restoring the funding. Among the requirements was overhauling the university's student disciplinary process, banning campus protesters from wearing masks, barring demonstrations from academic buildings, adopting a new definition of antisemitism and putting the Middle Eastern studies program under the supervision of a vice provost who would have a say over curriculum and hiring. After Columbia announced the changes, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the university was ' on the right track ,' but declined to say when or if Columbia's funding would be restored. Spokespersons for the federal education department didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. Columbia was at the forefront of U.S. campus protests over the war last spring. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally. Trump, when he retook the White House in January, moved swiftly to cut federal money to colleges and universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism.
