DE Assistant Politics Editor

Placing limitations on hiring for certain faculty and staff positions is a necessary step to deal with the University’s budget problems, SIUC deans said after a meeting with an SIUC vice chancellor.

John Jackson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said a meeting between SIUC deans and Ben Shepherd, vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, took place on Tuesday.

Advertisement

We were told we are not having a full-fledged hiring freeze, but a situation where only a few positions will be replaced, and those have to be the most crucial positions, Jackson said.

The University must come up with $1.5 million this semester to cover an income shortfall caused by decreased tuition funds resulting from an enrollment decline. Because of the budget shortfall, SIUC Chancellor John Guyon has placed restrictions on hiring faculty and staff positions.

Positions which need to be filled in emergency situations will have to be approved by the vice chancellors. Such situations would include offices which would have to shut down if additional staff was not hired.

Jackson said although the hiring restrictions are causing some difficulties, he said he believes the restrictions are in the best interest of SIUC.

This is a difficult time, but it is necessitated by the loss of student enrollments and the problem with the state penalizing us on tuition waivers, he said. It’s something we have to get through the best we can.

Jackson said budget problems have also caused equipment purchases to be minimized.

The money that was getting ready to be spent is now not available, Jackson said.

Advertisement*

Thomas Keon, College of Business Administration dean, said his college would not be affected by the hiring restrictions.

We weren’t planning on making any additional hires this fiscal year, Keon said.

However, Keon said COBA will be affected by the minimized equipment purchases.

We will be hurt more from the inability to purchase equipment as opposed to the hiring freeze, Keon said. The business college is a highly technical office. We have to make sure we have the best quality services and programs available.

Keon said the college had managed its budget in order to have funds to purchase equipment and will be unable to make some of the purchases now.

Jackson said COLA will have to find a way to manage while the hiring restrictions are in place.

We’re just going to have to make do with what we have to finish out this semester and hope it gets better in the next fiscal year, Jackson said.

Tom Guernsey, who will become the new Law School Dean on July 1, said at this point the school will not be affected.

As it stands right now, the law school is not engaged in any searches for faculty and staff positions, Guernsey said. So, I don’t think there will be any immediate effect.