The University of Chicago is wealthy (but not as wealthy as Princeton or Harvard or MIT!), so this announcement is not surprising (and somewhat less draconian than Berkeley's recent announcement--e.g., there will not be a complete hiring freeze):
- All individual faculty, staff, and administrative salaries for the academic year 2020-21 will remain at current levels (except when contractually required).
- New staff hiring will be strictly limited to those fully supported by external grant funding or critical to the core mission of the University.
- Academic hiring will be slowed.
- Discretionary spending will be suspended.
- Non-personnel expenditure reductions will be implemented. The details of implementation will be directed by the provost through the work with deans, vice presidents, and other leaders.
I'm curious to hear what other schools have announced--feel free to add links or descriptions in the comments.
UPDATE: Here's another example, Bradley University, a private university in Peoria, Illinois, with about 6000 students and a $300 million endowment, is expecting a decline in enrollment and is planning to cut expenses by 25%.