LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - The University of Kansas plans to shed more than 150 positions in an effort to cut $20 million from the school’s budget.
Interim Provost Carl Lejuez announced Wednesday that the university will be eliminating about 55 faculty positions and 100 staff positions over the next two school years, the Lawrence Journal-World reported.
The faculty cuts will occur through normal attrition and a buyout program for older faculty, but the university will need to lay off about 30 staff members, Lejuez said. Those affected by the layoffs will be notified by summer 2019, he added.
The university announced in May the need to reduce the budget by $20 million for all Lawrence campus units and departments. University officials said the budget reductions were necessary because of long-term commitments and investments that have exceeded revenue, coupled with a decade-long decline in state funding.
The university’s voluntary retirement program was adopted in August as a measure to cut costs. The program offers a buyout option to tenured and tenure-track faculty who are 62 or older. About 65 faculty members are expected to take the early retirement incentive.
The university plans to make up for the faculty losses by using non-faculty lecturers, according to Lejuez.
The recent announcement was met with criticism over high administrative salaries and questions over whether administrators would be forced to take pay cuts.
Lejeuz, who has a $410,000 salary, responded that the university needs to ensure its administrative pay remains competitive. He acknowledged that his salary is high compared to faculty and staff, but he said people in similar positions at peer universities make considerably more.
He said the university hopes to bring back the positions within a few years, once the budget is stabilized.
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Information from: Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com
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