Budget cuts at Eastern Illinois University now include furlough days for more than 200 administrative and professional employees.
The Mattoon Journal-Gazette and the Charleston Times-Courier reports that EIU President David Glassman sent a letter to the university community on Wednesday detailing the furloughs. The furlough will impact 222 Administrative and Professional staffers. Last month Glassman sent an email letting employees know that layoffs were possible in July.
The school has had budget troubles due to lower student enrollment. Glassman has said EIU's fiscal year 2016 budget leaves the school with a deficit of between $12 million and $14 million. No faculty appear to be affected by the furlough days. No word on how much money the furloughs will save. The number of days each administrative-professional worker must take will be determined on a sliding scale based on salary with higher-paid workers required to take as many as 14 furlough days.
Southern Illinois University leaders say the budget situation is difficult, but at this point there is no plan to impose further staff cuts or furloughs to make ends meet.
President Randy Dunn says the Charleston school faces an uphill battle.
"If you look at some of the enrollment difficulties they've had, the fact that reserves aren't available to the extent that they are on the campuses at SIU, and some of the other difficulties they've had, it's going to be a very tough time on that campus for a few years ahead, and no one takes glee in that."
Dunn says he's no fan of furloughs, and he's hopeful program reviews and smart planning can avoid similar problems in the SIU system.
