Spring Break
Forty-five faculty members take incentive, retire early
Christina Cannon
Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: News
09/17/08 - At the end of last academic year, the University of Rhode Island employed 812 full-time equivalent faculty members.
But after the university offered a one-time, $20,000 incentive to retire early last year, 45 faculty and 18 university staff members took the option.
Many other state-funded institutions of higher education, including URI, are faced with a great financial shortcoming in fiscal year 2009, according to an Academic Affairs press release.
University Provost Donald DeHayes, said URI was able to save roughly $6.7 million in the Division of Academic Affairs through the retirements, which was about more than half of the expected financial loss for the division.
In addition to the one-time incentive, URI employees and faculty had to consider a change on the state level - a decrease in health benefits for all those who decided to retire after this October. Faculty and staff who do not opt to retire early will not receive all the post-retirement health benefits previously offered to them.
More staff are expected to retire by the end of the month. DeHayes said there wasn't one specific area of the university that lost a massive amount of instructors.
"Most of the staff is elderly, we want a new and energetic faculty," he said.
The university has replaced 32 faculty members and 18 non-faculty. "We are trying to provide an active learning environment," Dehayes said.
Still, the provost said he is hopeful that the university will flourish despite tight financial times.
"We've had to cut a fair amount in the past six to eight months," he said. "The quality of the university is getting better, with the applicant pool rising 10 percent and the research income amount rising, the budget struggle will only help the university focus on the most significant aspects to educate the students."
DeHayes said there may be fewer sections in some academic courses next year, as well as some reduction in services, teaching, advising, research and outreach programs.
"We can't be all things to all people," DeHayes said.
But after the university offered a one-time, $20,000 incentive to retire early last year, 45 faculty and 18 university staff members took the option.
Many other state-funded institutions of higher education, including URI, are faced with a great financial shortcoming in fiscal year 2009, according to an Academic Affairs press release.
University Provost Donald DeHayes, said URI was able to save roughly $6.7 million in the Division of Academic Affairs through the retirements, which was about more than half of the expected financial loss for the division.
In addition to the one-time incentive, URI employees and faculty had to consider a change on the state level - a decrease in health benefits for all those who decided to retire after this October. Faculty and staff who do not opt to retire early will not receive all the post-retirement health benefits previously offered to them.
More staff are expected to retire by the end of the month. DeHayes said there wasn't one specific area of the university that lost a massive amount of instructors.
"Most of the staff is elderly, we want a new and energetic faculty," he said.
The university has replaced 32 faculty members and 18 non-faculty. "We are trying to provide an active learning environment," Dehayes said.
Still, the provost said he is hopeful that the university will flourish despite tight financial times.
"We've had to cut a fair amount in the past six to eight months," he said. "The quality of the university is getting better, with the applicant pool rising 10 percent and the research income amount rising, the budget struggle will only help the university focus on the most significant aspects to educate the students."
DeHayes said there may be fewer sections in some academic courses next year, as well as some reduction in services, teaching, advising, research and outreach programs.
"We can't be all things to all people," DeHayes said.
