IUP warns faculty about possible layoffs
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Indiana University of Pennsylvania has notified its faculty union that layoffs are a possibility as IUP works to reduce a projected deficit.
The union, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, today issued a news release stating the president of the IUP local, Susan Drummond, had a meeting with Helen Kennedy, IUP vice president of human resources, where the union was given an outline of the university's possible budget for 2011-12. It included the statement that meeting the university's reduction targets "might require the retrenchment of faculty and/or the furloughs of management and staff."
In university jargon, possible retrenchment means furloughs are being considered, said union spokesman Kevin Kodish.
According to the union, the IUP document stated, "The university will take every reasonable measure to avoid retrenchment and furloughs, but they may be unavoidable due to financial considerations, program curtailment, elimination of courses, and other reasons."
Ms. Drummond noted that enrollment has been increasing and faculty are vital to attract tuition dollars. She likened retrenchment of faculty to "killing the goose that lays the golden egg."
IUP is the fifth of the 14 universities in the State System to raise the possibility of faculty layoffs, although not all of them involve faculty. The issue of possible layoffs has been raised already at Kutztown, Mansfield, Millersville and Shippensburg. Slippery has indicated staff layoffs are possible.
First Published July 22, 2010 10:37 am
