Bailey updates campus community on layoffs, hiring freeze
Aug. 7, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- Dr. Judith I. Bailey, president of Western Michigan University, issued a message to the campus community today regarding recently announced job reductions, layoffs and the hiring freeze at the university. The following is the complete text of the president's message.
To the Campus Community:
The past three weeks have been a difficult time in the life
of our University. The loss of state appropriations forced us
to take significant steps to reduce our base budget, the most
painful of
which was the reduction in positions, resulting in layoffs. I
want to keep you fully apprised about how the layoff process
is proceeding.
At this point, layoff notifications are nearly finished. There
still remains the possibility of a small number of employee layoffs
resulting from our bumping process. We continue to offer all
of the
support and assistance we can to those members of our community
whose jobs were affected due to the major reduction in our funding
from the state.
In the end, through careful evaluation of vacant positions,
we were able to secure positions for all but 32 of our current
employees. When we met in Town Hall sessions July 17 and 18,
I told you the
budget crisis would necessitate a reduction in our work force
of 61 positions through layoffs. During those meetings, I also
pledged that the senior staff and I would work strenuously to
reduce the number of employees who would be laid off. I feel
great empathy for those whose jobs we could not save, and I wish
the layoffs could have been avoided.
I am pleased, however, that through careful planning, we have
been able to preserve jobs for many of our colleagues. Because
of last winter's hiring freeze, which progressed into this spring's
"deep
freeze," there were a number of vacant positions that we
retained in order to maintain critical University services. These
positions were not included in the number of vacancies that were
cut to meet our budget-driven need to eliminate 181 full-time
positions. By working very hard to match the requirements of
the vacant positions with the skill sets of the employees whose
jobs were being eliminated, we were able to significantly reduce
the final number of layoffs.
As the academic year begins, there are still a small number of vacancies we need to fill. For that reason, I am temporarily lifting the hiring freeze so the University can fill those vacancies and continue to operate at the level of support our students deserve and need as they pursue their University education.
I continue to be deeply appreciative of your patience and support and I look forward to working with you as we begin the academic year together.
Thank you for your efforts on behalf of our wonderful University community.
Sincerely,
Judith I. Bailey
President
Media contact: Matt Kurz, 269 387-8400, matt.kurz@wmich.edu