MSU will decrease staff and faculty due to financial troubles

Michigan State University will eliminate staff and faculty positions as part of the “next steps” the university will follow amid current financial issues.

In a public letter delivered by President Kevin M. Guskiewicz to the MSU faculty and staff, he argued these future job cuts that are starting in July will follow “external pressure” to the university finances.

“Today, Michigan State faces external pressures such as rising employee health care costs and increased operating costs due to inflation,” Guskiewicz said in the letter.

He also wrote the university is being affected by research state funding cuts and restrictions on international enrollments as part of general funding cuts from the federal government.

Guskiewicz added the future position layoffs come along with tuition increases which are part of the university’s “effort” to manage a 9% spending reduction of the general budget.

“As we’ve worked to reduce general fund spending by 9% over the next two years, I’ve appreciated the efforts of our colleges and units to prioritize non-personnel budget reductions,” Guskiewicz wrote.

It wasn’t specified in the letter which positions or how many workers will be directly affected.

He pointed that these budget and staff cuts should not impact important student services such as police, food service, and payroll. However, it was not specified the academic impact on MSU students.

‘Unfortunately, we will still have to eliminate some positions, the extent of which will vary by colleges and units. Although many units looked first to identify existing vacancies that could not be filled, there also will be some direct reductions in currently filled positions,” Guskiewicz wrote.

He also wrote that MSU will work with employee unions and offer benefits to those affected such as voluntary retirement incentive plans for some tenure track faculty and employee assistance program.

A request for comment on the specific impact on the MSU community was sent by the Advance to a university spokesperson, but has yet to be returned.

Meanwhile, PBS-affiliate WKAR, whose broadcast license is held by MSU, said it too would have to trim staff, with plans to eliminate nine positions, most of them in TV production.