| The university on
April 8 notified 47 employees they are laid off effective June 30
due to ongoing state budget reductions and the refocusing of some
departmental missions resulting from those cuts.
As the state budget crisis has deepened, the university has managed
to bring total employment downward by some 650 positions through
tightened hiring procedures and attrition but without layoffs until
now.
“I regret deeply that these layoffs have become necessary,”
says President Michael F. Adams. “The university values greatly
every employee and has done everything within its power to avoid
this eventuality. Unfortunately, the fiscal year 2005 budget cuts,
particularly in the B-budget units, are of such magnitude that we
have no choice but to take this action.”
“We have struggled successfully to this point to maintain
our operations without layoffs,” says Arnett C. Mace Jr.,
senior vice president for academic affairs. “But the additional
budget cut beginning July 1 makes layoffs in these particular units
unavoidable.”
Included are 18 positions in the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences and 29 in units of the division of Public Service and Outreach.
In the agriculture college, seven of the lost positions are in Tifton,
five in Athens, and one each in Gordon County, Griffin, States–boro,
Blairsville, Dahlonega and Augusta.
“These reductions are a case of the budget being reduced to
a point at which positions simply could not be maintained,”
says Dean Gale Buchanan. “We regret it mightily for the individuals
involved and also regret that we will be unable to provide Georgians
the level of services they have come to expect from these units.”
In managing for budget efficiencies, Vice President for Public Service
and Outreach Arthur N. Dunning ordered a mission review in public
service units.
“Our layoffs are a result of refocusing on our core missions
in the Georgia Center, the Vinson Institute and our other affected
public service units,” he says.
Public Service and Outreach layoffs include 18 positions in the
Georgia Center for Continuing Education, seven in the Carl Vinson
Institute of Government, two in Marine Extension, and one each in
International Public Service and Outreach and the Museum of Natural
History.
The positions lost in the Georgia Center result from the elimination
of some programs and the reorganization of others, including eight
positions with the discontinuation of the American Language Program;
two each from Georgia Center residential support services and the
Center’s media production unit; one each from radio station
WUGA, the Center director’s office, the conference and institutes
department, and the maintenance department; and two Georgia Center
positions at the Gwinnett Center.
Laid-off employees will be employed through June 30, or through
the end date of their contract for contract employees, and will
be paid for all accumulated annual leave in a lump sum under established
payroll procedures for terminating employees, according to Andy
Brantley, associate vice president for human resources. His office
has scheduled group counseling to assist affected employees with
unemployment, benefits, retirement, re-employment and training issues.
“Layoffs are regrettable and we recognize they are a significant
life event for the employees affected,” Brantley says. He
says those in the official layoff pool will be assisted in application
for unemployment compensation and, if they desire, will be placed
in a “recall pool” which will receive priority hiring
consideration for vacancies through October 2004 for which they
may be qualified.
A number of university services will continue to be available to
laid-off personnel through October. These include personal counseling
for potential emotional, financial and legal issues through UGA’s
Employee Assistance Program. Laid-off employees may take advantage
of all services available to alumni through UGA’s Career Center,
including career counseling, and may attend training programs available
through the Training and Development Department. They may retain
their UGA e-mail accounts and UGACards to use e-mail in their job
search and continue to access campus events and services. Existing
parking permits may be retained at no additional cost through October,
and existing Ramsey Student Center memberships may be continued
through October if prepaid.
|
