(AP) — Drury University is eliminating 35 jobs as enrollment dips at the private Springfield school.

Fewer than 10 employees will be laid off. The rest of the jobs will be eliminated through retirements, consolidations and leaving vacancies unfilled.

Drury reached a record enrollment of 5,625 students in 2010. Since then, Drury has experienced an average annual decline in enrollment of 6 percent per year.

President David Manuel said in a news release that the improving economy is leading fewer people to seek graduate degrees and continuing education. The trend is a national one. Manuel also noted that Missouri has seen a 6 percent decline in high school graduates since 2010.