Declining enrollment drives Cal U to furlough 16
A 3.2 percent decline in overall enrollment has significantly impacted California University of Pennsylvania’s budget.
So much so, that several employees are being furloughed, and a number of positions are being left vacant.
According to Cal U spokeswoman Christine Kindl, 16 active employees will be furloughed, which represents about 1.8 percent of the university’s overall workforce.
Twelve of the employees are union members, and four are non-represented managers.
They are not faculty.
Overall, however, 30 positions will be left vacant – the 16 furloughed employees, plus 14 additional positions vacated by the retirement or departure of faculty, staff and managers.
Kindl said those 14 positions will not be filled.
“Several faculty positions will be vacant because of programs with low enrollment, she said.
Cal U’s Interim President Geraldine Jones made the announcement Tuesday at the university’s faculty/staff fall convocation.
Kindl said Jones referred to it as “one of the most difficult decisions she has ever had to make in her career.”
“This is essentially a budget issue,” Kindl said. “Our enrollment has dropped this year. We are down 3.2 percent from last fall. Naturally, having fewer students has an impact on our budget.”