UMaine eliminates 109 positions
The University of Maine in Orono this morning said it will cut 109 positions, including dozens of layoffs, to trim $8.8 million from next year's budget.
The university said it will lay off 32 employees and eliminate 77 currently vacant positions, as well as reduce hours for another 31 full-time employees, to cut $8.8 million out of its $248 million 2010 fiscal year budget, which begins July 1, according to a press release from the university. The cuts reduce the university's salaries and benefits budget by $5.8 million. In the past three years, UMaine has eliminated over 200 faculty, professional and hourly positions, equal to a 10% work force reduction over this period.
In addition to the cuts in personnel, UMaine will reduce operating costs by at least $1.7 million by cutting supplies, service, maintenance, travel and equipment expenses. It will also attempt to save $1.3 million by finding efficiencies in the management of energy costs through improved purchasing mechanisms and conservation, according to the press release.
UMaine President Robert Kennedy said the decisions were made after a "painstaking, thorough process" aimed at preserving the educational capacity of the university. "More than ever, Maine needs a strong flagship state university," he said in a statement. "That is why we continue to focus on sustainable ways to continue the university's momentum within the current budget realities."
The university says its financial troubles stem from several factors, including reduced state appropriations and declining returns on investments.
The largest number of layoffs -- 15 positions -- comes from UMaine's professional, salaried staff, including 10 layoffs at Cutler Health Center, the operations of which UMaine is transferring to a private healthcare provider. UMaine also will lay off five people in the faculty category, four coaches whose jobs were eliminated when UMaine discontinued its volleyball and men's soccer programs and a person in the Cooperative Extension program. The remaining 12 layoffs are hourly-paid employees, including eight at the Cutler Health Center.
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