Tufts' faculty and staff have recently taken a hit as the university braces itself for a worsening economic climate. Specifically, employees are facing salary freezes and layoffs as Tufts continues to prioritize its core academic mission and the financial need of students.
Though the university is "faring reasonably well under the circumstances," University President Lawrence Bacow reported in an e-mail to the Tufts community on March 11, administrators have had to lay off a small number of employees in order to balance the budgets for the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years.
All told, Tufts has laid off 20 workers; no faculty members have yet been cut, as the trimming has been confined to the central administration and the staff at the various schools within the university.
"Tufts took these decisions very seriously, and we're fortunate that we're able to limit it to a small number," Vice President of Human Resources Kathe Cronin told the Daily. "It's certainly one of the last things that we want to have to do in a situation like this because the economic situation is so sobering. Unfortunately, the university wasn't able to deal with it without enacting some layoffs."
The university has offered job search services to all laid-off staff. Additionally, three discharged employees were placed in other positions within the university.
Cronin was unable to predict if more layoffs will be necessary in the near future, but she said that they are treated as a last resort.
"I'm hopeful that we've done what we need to do," she said. "The only consolation is that we're in this boat with virtually every institution and employer."
Meanwhile, salary freezes will take effect at the start of the next fiscal year for all employees earning over $50,000. Employees earning less than this will see "very modest raises" next year, Bacow said in his e-mail to the community.
The freeze was finalized in February after months of consideration and is expected to result in between $9 million and $10 million in savings.
Dean of Arts and Sciences Robert Sternberg said that employees have taken the decision in stride.
"No one's happy about this, but they're doing what they can," he said. "I think everyone thinks it's the right thing to do ... I think people recognize this is for the common good, to keep people in jobs."
Professor of Child Development Richard Lerner agreed. "It's a very small contribution to be asked not to have salary increases," he said. "I've found no one in my department who objects to the fact that there won't be salary increases. We all have to find ways to pitch in."
Lerner further proposed a "one for all" approach in which tenured faculty members would voluntarily return 1 percent of their salaries to the university. "We need to find ways to give back and to work together to make sure we all weather this storm," he said.
A projected 30-percent decline in the endowment has prompted the university to take other measures as well. Tufts has already decided to tap into $11 million of its reserves -- savings that the university has that are separate from its endowment -- to balance the fiscal year 2010 budget, according to Director of Public Relations Kim Thurler.
Tuition and fees raises are also necessary, according to Bacow, who said in his e-mail that all of the university's other major sources of revenue will take hits next year. The increase for next year will be 3.5 percent, the smallest percentage in 45 years.
"Recognizing that many families are hurting financially, we have tried to contain tuition increases as much as possible," Bacow said.
As a further means of cost reduction, academic departments are taking small steps to save money, but Sternberg cautioned against excessive departmental cuts.
"We're trying as much as possible to spare departments because the academic mission of the university in part resides in the department," Sternberg said.
Even as the recession forces the university to spend more carefully than ever, administrators are optimistic about Tufts' financial standing, especially when compared to other schools.
In particular, while a number of colleges across the country have imposed an absolute hiring standstill, Tufts has applied only a modified job freeze.
According to Cronin, the university has considerably slowed down hiring but is still actively seeking to fill positions that are "mission critical" or that generate revenue, like some clinical or grant-funded jobs.
As the university cuts back, Bacow expects the essence of the university to remain unchanged.
"We are always looking for ways to control costs," he told the Daily in an e-mail. "The challenge is to do so in ways that [do] not compromise the distinctive character of a Tufts education."
