Concordia offers buyouts to support, administrative staff

Feeling the pinch of continuing government budget cuts, Concordia University is taking steps to reduce 180 positions by introducing a voluntary departure program for administrative and support staff.

In a sombre letter that went out to staff and faculty on Wednesday, Concordia president Alan Shepard said that the 2014-2015 budget approved by the university’s board in April had to be revised after the provincial government’s budget was adopted in June, translating into further constraints on university budgets across Quebec.

“The government has indicated that universities must reduce operating expenses,” Shepard said in the letter, noting that no operating deficits will be permitted in 2014-2015. “The reality is that we are living in a very challenging fiscal environment.”

The university has been working diligently to address the escalating budget compressions without severely impacting students or the quality of its academic programs. In addition to the voluntary departure program, measures to cut costs will include expense reductions, delayed investments and enrolment growth.

Quebec’s universities have had a difficult few years, facing cuts upon cuts as well as lost revenue from the planned higher tuition fees that were finally cancelled after months of massive student protests in 2012.

Shepard said the board has been fiscally prudent, and was careful when preparing its April budget.

“However, with the adop- tion of a budget by the government of Quebec in June, it was clear we would need to make adjustments to our 2014-2015 budget, aligning it with government allocations and expectations,” he said.

He said the introduction of a voluntary departure program was an idea that had been suggested by the Concordia community.

Shepard assured the Concordia community that the university “continues to make great strides in enhancing its reputation around the globe.”

However, he cautioned that challenging financial circumstances “will require all of us to be resilient, resourceful and innovative.”

PIERRE OBENDRAUF/ THE GAZETTE Concordia University’s president Alan Shepard says, “The reality is that we are living in a very challenging fiscal environment.”