As previously mentioned, the sh*t is hitting the fan - University of Akron job cuts make the news at multiple sites:
University of Akron cuts 178 jobs as part of cost-saving measures due to coronavirus pandemic
AKRON, Ohio -- The University of Akron’s Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to eliminate the jobs of 178 employees,
including 96 unionized faculty, a law school faculty member, 60 staff members and 21 contract employees.
The employees’ salaries and benefits total $16.4 million, according to the university.
The University of Akron’s Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to eliminate the jobs of 178 employees, including 96 unionized faculty, a law school faculty member, 60 staff members and 21 contract employees.
www.cleveland.com
Budget ‘Bloodbath’ at University of Akron
The University of Akron’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously authorized the elimination of 97 full-time professors out of about 570 total in response to a projected enrollment decline and ongoing budget woes. Some 21 full-timers also recently resigned or retired.
The cuts will take effect starting in two weeks. The university is in the process of notifying affected professors, but their identities are not yet public. No programs cuts were made, per se -- Akron already cut
about 80 programs in 2018 as part of a major academic restructuring -- yet some professors wonder how and if their departments will function with so many of their colleagues missing.
Governing board votes to eliminate 97 full-time faculty positions.
www.insidehighered.com
With Latest Layoffs, U. of Akron Has Lost Almost a Quarter of Its Faculty Since Pandemic Began
The University of Akron plans to cut 10 percent of its total staff, including nearly 100 full-time faculty members — the latest sign that the Covid-19 pandemic is set to take a severe toll on the higher-education work force.
The university’s president said the new cuts, of 96 unionized faculty, were necessary because earlier ones “were insufficient to design a budget that will sustain” the institution.
www.chronicle.com
As the Virus Deepens Financial Trouble, Colleges Turn to Layoffs
The University of Akron this week became one of the first schools in the country to make profound cuts in the number of full-time professors on its staff. Others might have to follow.
LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Hammered by mounting coronavirus costs and anticipating lost revenue from international students, fall sports and state budgets gutted by the pandemic, colleges and universities nationwide have begun eyeing what until now has been seen as a last resort — thinning the ranks of their faculty.
The University of Akron this week became one of the first schools in the country to make deep cuts in the number of full-time professors on its staff, with the board of trustees voting on Wednesday to lay off about a fifth of the university’s unionized work force to balance its budget, including nearly 100 faculty members.
Other universities have also trimmed teaching positions, although most have limited themselves to those without tenure. This month, the University of Texas at San Antonio
laid off 69 instructors, while the University of Michigan, Flint, last month
eliminated more than 40 percent of the 300 lecturers who handle a majority of the teaching load on campus. Since May, Ohio University has had
three rounds of layoffs, including more than 50 nonunionized faculty members.
The cuts underscore the
growing financial crisis sweeping across higher education, which in recent years has struggled with shrinking state support and declining enrollment amid concerns about skyrocketing tuition and the burden of student debt. The coronavirus and signs of
declining fall enrollment have only accelerated the financial trouble everywhere including at large state research universities and small liberal arts schools.
The University of Akron this week became one of the first schools in the country to make profound cuts in the number of full-time professors on its staff. Others might have to follow.
www.nytimes.com
University of Akron president warns of more job losses if union contract not ratified
Ratification of the proposed contract with the University of Akron’s faculty union is an “imperative,” President Gary Miller said
in a video to campus released Friday night, warning that failure to ratify could lead to more job losses.
“If the contract is not approved, we will unfortunately exhaust our precious reserves as we take many, many months, time we do not have, to fight legal battles,” Miller said.
At the same time, he said, the university would have to invoke “faculty retrenchment,” a clause in the existing union contract that allows for the dismissal of faculty due to urgent circumstances.
Miller said that process would be “lengthy” and would “cause many more faculty to lose their jobs than were achieved through the recent board action.”
The board of trustees voted Wednesday on Miller’s recommendation to lay off 178 employees, including 96 union faculty members. Another 84 offered to retire or resign.
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Note: An elimination of previous job openings brings the net job loss up to about 300.