WVU furloughs almost 900 workers
Temporary reductions follow contributions by president and top leaders
West Virginia University notified 875 employees Friday they will be temporarily furloughed to curb expenses as the COVID-19 pandemic puts a squeeze on university budgets, with students and workers now off campus.
The employees being furloughed are a mix of groundskeepers, various campus service workers and custodial and clerical help on the main Morgantown
campus and branches. The university, which has 6,000 full-time employees, said in a statement it expects to save approximately $4 million through the temporary furlough program.
The temporary workforce reduction is effective on May 24, and impacted employees will return to their duties on either June 28 or July 26, depending on operational needs, officials said.
Employees on temporary furlough will continue to receive benefits.
“Throughout the past several weeks, the university has implemented several measures to prioritize funding to satisfy our financial obligations while also considering the ongoing needs of our students, faculty and staff,” said Rob Alsop, vice president for strategic initiatives. “However, after a careful financial review, we made the difficult decision to move forward with a temporary furlough program.”
Earlier, WVU President E. Gordon Gee and senior administrators announced contributions to assist the university through the crisis. Mr. Gee, whose base salary is $675,000, is making an upfront contribution of $80,000 to the WVU Foundation to support student needs, officials said.
Other administrators either contributed a portion of their salary or made comparable donations.