So as we speculated a month ago, the first step for the University in the Great Panic of 2008-? (or as I call it, the Great Devastation) is to institute a hiring freeze. In addition, construction projects in early phases will be put on a 90-day hold to allow administrators to reassess projects, determine how much of a priority they are and how they fit in the University budget. As such, all projects that do not have construction contracts will be postponed, those currently in the design phase will be allowed to complete the phase and then be put on hold, while those which have not yet progressed to the design stage will be reviewed before any further actions. Furthermore, physical infrastructure projects, information technology capital investment projects and local transportation and housing projects, which have not yet been initiated, will also be delayed.Though it appears likely that some employees will be laid off, Bruce underscored the University’s commitment to minimize any firings. “We are going to slow down our hiring such that we keep positions open, so it will generate savings this year in order to offset any pressure that might be on our human resources,” he said. “The president made very clear that we have no intention of addressing the challenges that the recent economic crisis has created by doing it ‘on the backs of our people.’”
The key takeaway is that it has only been implemented for 'non-professorial' openings, meaning that faculty are still being courted. And depending on the depths of the recession, it will be interesting to see how the University might approach academic hiring in a stressed environment.
We also found this proposed idea intriguing. Just think about how many full scholarships could be offered if the President, the Provost, and the CIO all took a ten percent pay cut...
Milstein Hall, though, is still going full speed ahead.
