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Beloit College to cut jobs
By Daily News staff
Beloit College is facing the elimination of as many as 40 positions due to a $1 million budget shortfall.
Beloit College is “not immune from the economic problems facing our country” the college's Interim President Dick Niemiec said Friday. The budget shortfall and staff cuts were announced in a campus-wide meeting and in a letter sent to all employees.
The college presently employs about 425 people, said Ron Nief, college public relations director.
Niemiec met with the campus community two weeks ago to outline the financial situation at the college. He noted that “like most families and organizations in the country, we are facing economic challenges at Beloit College. While I think that they are difficult, I do not think they constitute a crisisŠWe do not believe that we will in any way have to sacrifice the quality of the educational experience we deliver here.”
The college has a budget of approximately $55 million, about three-quarters of which comes from tuition. About $2.3 million of the budget comes through fundraising efforts, and another $2.5 million is drawn from the endowment. The balance of income comes from room, board and miscellaneous sources.
“We must set the college on a strong course for the future as we prepare for the arrival of the new president in the coming year,” Niemiec said. “We know what is facing all higher education in this country. Demographic trends show fewer college-age students than in the previous decade. A less affluent but more diverse student body, while academically qualified for Beloit, will need more financial assistance. Because of fluctuations in the value of our investments, payouts from our permanent funds are likely to be lower in the coming years.”
Cost reductions, salary savings and spending restrictions have already been identified amounting to $750,000, and there is a moratorium on hiring on campus.
Offices have been asked to identify ways to work with established staff to cover responsibilities and to make adjustments in individual duties.
“Our next step is the difficult decision to pursue an employee reduction program,” Niemiec said. “In order to achieve a balanced operating budget in light of enrollment projections, the college needs to eliminate approximately 40 positions.”
The college first will look to eliminate positions through attrition. Staff members who are contemplating resignation or retirement by May 31 are being sought out. Those staff people have to be identified by Nov. 14, to determine how many positions need to be eliminated in all, Nief said.
Once the voluntary reductions are taken care of, the remainder of the staff staff cuts will be made by the end of this calendar year.
“These are extremely difficult decisions that will have an impact on all of us,” Niemiec concluded in his letter. “While they are the result of a number of factors touching every college and university in the country, they still have a very personal effect on all of us in the Beloit College community.”
He asked for assistance and understanding “as we work to preserve the quality of Beloit College. We are acting prudently in order to maintain the College on a steady course for the future.”
Beloit College is facing the elimination of as many as 40 positions due to a $1 million budget shortfall.
Beloit College is “not immune from the economic problems facing our country” the college's Interim President Dick Niemiec said Friday. The budget shortfall and staff cuts were announced in a campus-wide meeting and in a letter sent to all employees.
The college presently employs about 425 people, said Ron Nief, college public relations director.
Niemiec met with the campus community two weeks ago to outline the financial situation at the college. He noted that “like most families and organizations in the country, we are facing economic challenges at Beloit College. While I think that they are difficult, I do not think they constitute a crisisŠWe do not believe that we will in any way have to sacrifice the quality of the educational experience we deliver here.”
The college has a budget of approximately $55 million, about three-quarters of which comes from tuition. About $2.3 million of the budget comes through fundraising efforts, and another $2.5 million is drawn from the endowment. The balance of income comes from room, board and miscellaneous sources.
“We must set the college on a strong course for the future as we prepare for the arrival of the new president in the coming year,” Niemiec said. “We know what is facing all higher education in this country. Demographic trends show fewer college-age students than in the previous decade. A less affluent but more diverse student body, while academically qualified for Beloit, will need more financial assistance. Because of fluctuations in the value of our investments, payouts from our permanent funds are likely to be lower in the coming years.”
Cost reductions, salary savings and spending restrictions have already been identified amounting to $750,000, and there is a moratorium on hiring on campus.
Offices have been asked to identify ways to work with established staff to cover responsibilities and to make adjustments in individual duties.
“Our next step is the difficult decision to pursue an employee reduction program,” Niemiec said. “In order to achieve a balanced operating budget in light of enrollment projections, the college needs to eliminate approximately 40 positions.”
The college first will look to eliminate positions through attrition. Staff members who are contemplating resignation or retirement by May 31 are being sought out. Those staff people have to be identified by Nov. 14, to determine how many positions need to be eliminated in all, Nief said.
Once the voluntary reductions are taken care of, the remainder of the staff staff cuts will be made by the end of this calendar year.
“These are extremely difficult decisions that will have an impact on all of us,” Niemiec concluded in his letter. “While they are the result of a number of factors touching every college and university in the country, they still have a very personal effect on all of us in the Beloit College community.”
He asked for assistance and understanding “as we work to preserve the quality of Beloit College. We are acting prudently in order to maintain the College on a steady course for the future.”
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