Officials at some state-owned universities are warning staff layoffs and programs cuts could be on the horizon.
Several of those universities are in western Pennsylvania, including California University, where declining enrollment is forcing these changes.
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The big announcement about possible layoffs came on Saturday, and faculty met with administrators on Tuesday, and said letting go of teachers isn’t the way to draw students to Cal U.
Cal U is one of the five state universities that were put on notice by the state that layoffs are possible later in the year.
“We want students to know we are concerned. We are concerned with their education,” said Barbara Hess, president of the faculty union at Cal U. “We are doing everything possible and we started today to talk with management.”
Hess said the announcement was disheartening and demoralizing for every member of the faculty.
“Not just new faculty, those who have been here for a while, who feel established, begin to say (they) should be looking somewhere else,” Hess said.
The stated cited a decrease in enrollment as a major factor in the decision. According to Cal U, the school currently has 7,553 combined graduate and undergraduate students, compared to a record high of 9,400 in 2010. That is a 20 percent decline in enrollment.
Joseph Phillips, a robotics student, said he came from Georgia to attend Cal U.
“It's very sad, but I don’t think that a decline in enrollment is a reason to lay off teachers. It’s not something happening locally. It's a national problem,” Phillips said.
In a statement, university officials said, “Although there is no certainty that any faculty positions will be lost, the university must have at its disposal the tools it may need in order to bring our faculty complement into alignment with the University's needs... We intend to continue working with the faculty union to achieve the best possible outcome.”
Four other universities are facing potential layoffs. Administrators at Clarion, Edinboro, Mansfield and Cheyney universities have also been notified.