Staff Reports
Indiana University will reduce staff at the IUPUC campus beginning next month, though the university has not said how many staff members could be laid off.
IU confirmed “a small reduction in force” effective Nov. 1.
“As for the exact number, while it is limited, we won’t know a final figure until close to the effective date,” IU spokesman Chuck Carney said in an email.
IUPUC Vice Chancellor and Dean Reinhold Hill sent a letter to staff that announced a “restructuring” in regards to IUPUC’s approach to advising.
Hill told The Republic that advising is currently handled by division.
“We’re placing advising and the responsibility for leading advising under University College, which is a different structure than it currently is in,” he said.
University College is a unit of IUPUC that provides “support services” and “pre-major advising” for students, he explained. All advising will now be consolidated into that unit. According to Hill’s letter, advisers may now be responsible for multiple disciplines in different divisions.
When asked if the reduction in workforce would only apply to the advising group or if it would also impact other campus positions, Hill said that he couldn’t speak to that at this time. He reiterated that the campus is “in the process,” and nothing will be finalized until Nov. 1.
In regards to an estimate for the number of people being laid off, Hill replied, “I’m really not comfortable providing that right now.”
His letter cited declines in enrollment and the impact on the college’s budget as factors in restructuring.
According to Hill, IUPUC’s target enrollment is between 1,500 and 2,000 students, and IUPUC is currently under 1,100. In October of 2020, the college reported that total headcount on campus was 1,275, including both undergraduate and graduate students. In 2019, it was 1,406.
“Our budget was based on the previous years’ enrollment,” Hill said. “Certainly, the pandemic has definitely changed enrollment patterns and student interests.”
The college expected enrollment to “remain steadier than it did year over year,” he said.
