News
13 Positions Eliminated In OU’s Finance & Administration Arm
By: Susan Tebben
Posted on:
Five people were relieved of their duties and a total of 13 positions were eliminated from a unit of Ohio University in an effort to meet budget objectives, a university official said.
OU’s Finance and Administration unit chose to remove positions including Joe Lalley, senior associate vice president for facilities and operations; Laura Nowicki, director of procurement and contract services; Adam Lewis, technical trainer; Cathie Chancellor, risk manager; and Jane Palmer, prevailing wage coordinator, according to university spokesperson Carly Leatherwood.
“The university is looking at ways to optimize efficiency, and this was the decision for them,”
Eight other positions within the unit were eliminated, but the positions were vacant, Leatherwood told WOUB.
Those in eliminated positions were notified last week of the decision, and divisions were notified Tuesday morning of the changes.
No other positions are on the chopping block within the unit. Leatherwood said.
Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit previously told the university community that the uncertainty of the state budget and “limited projected growth in our resources” had caused the university to look into more ways to save money.
“To maintain a balanced budget will require the reallocation of resources across the institution,” Benoit wrote in a February letter. “Over the course of the next few months, Administrative and Academic leadership will be working together to prioritize and make tough choices.”
Benoit also announced in the letter that raise pools would not be a part of the 2018 fiscal year budget.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Deborah Shaffer estimated the reductions to her staff will save the university $2 million.
The duties of the 13 positions will be absorbed and completed by those currently working in Finance and Administration, Leatherwood said.
You can read Ohio University’s policies regarding layoffs here.