The University of Iowa announced across-the-board budget cuts Friday, following the state legislature's decision to reduce funding to public universities.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/university-of-iowa-announces-more-belt-tightening-amid-covid-19-pandemic/ar-BB16H8eT
The new budget cuts come as colleges within the UI are already making cuts, which have included layoffs, to compensate for the pandemic.
The University of Iowa will begin to reduce funding for Hancher Auditorium with the intention of the venue space becoming a "self-sustaining unit" in three years, according to a UI news release. University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld will also take a one-time 50% pay cut this year, according to the announcement. Half of his salary, or $270,416, will instead go to the Student Emergency Fund.
Additionally, around 4,200 employees across the university will not receive raises. Another 32 positions will remain vacant.
The state legislature cut university funding by $8 million in the state budget passed this year, according to the UI press release. The Iowa Board of Regents will decide in late July how much of the cut the UI will bare.
Until then, colleges are still preparing for a decline in enrollment due to the novel coronavirus — and an accompanying decline in revenue.
A decision to not renew the contracts of 15 educators in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a decision tantamount to 15 layoffs, sparked an outcry among faculty who say the college has already weathered too many cuts.
Other areas of the campus, too, have already experienced cuts: University Housing and Dining temporarily laid off 112 employees. The College of Engineering eliminated four positions permanently. Athletics is reducing salaries, and employees at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics now must take unpaid time off or forfeit vacation time.