YSU Faculty Layoffs Averted Through Voluntary Separation Plan

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Enough faculty took advantage of the Youngstown State University voluntary separation plan to avert layoffs, the university announced Monday.

“Through collaborative efforts between the faculty and administration, we implemented a plan that prioritized exploring options for early retirement or separation before resorting to any other form of personnel reduction through retrenchment,” said Jennifer Pintar, interim provost. 

Pintar said a “sufficient number of faculty members opted for this opportunity, thus negating the need for any cuts.” 

Those who accepted the separation incentive will be compensated with 80% of their salary as part of the package for the upcoming academic year, she said.

In January, Pintar addressed the Academic Senate regarding the university’s Academic Master Plan. 

“At that time, I spoke candidly about the potential for challenging decisions on the horizon, including the possibility of up to 13 faculty members facing retrenchment,” she said.

The positions are in the Dana School of Music, studio arts and geography. 

The bachelor of arts in music, bachelor of music in composition, master of music in composition and master of music in jazz studies at Dana, arts education and geography will be eliminated after this academic year. 

Those programs see low enrollment and low graduation rates.

The university is investing, however, in faculty in other disciplines with high enrollment and graduation rates in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.