By JEFF TIRRELL
(AMHERST) — A major budget gap tied at least partly to the Covid-19 pandemic has forced furloughs at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Nearly 850 employees, including dining hall workers and residence hall operations staff, will be placed on indefinite furlough effective September 13.
Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said a $168.6 million-dollar budget gap made it clear something had to be done. He called this “one of the greatest financial challenges in our 157-year history”. Subbaswamy added, “These losses for the fall semester include $67.4 million in housing and dining revenue, a projected $30.6 million decline in tuition revenue, and a $20.9 million reduction in other revenues, including grant and contract overhead income.
“These are truly trying times for our campus community, one that is built on the value of our people. Our staff gives so much of themselves to advance the mission of the university, to serve our students, to support our research and to make the world a better place. These staff reductions are an absolute last resort and the result of agonizing decisions,” Subbaswamy said.
Subbaswamy said permanent layoffs are expected later this fall, although negotiations are ongoing with unions for additional furloughs, which could minimize the number of layoffs.