Fairfield University will lay off as many as nine staff members as part of an effort to seal a $4.3 million budget gap in the current fiscal year, university officials said Monday. University officials won't confirm the exact number of job cuts -- out of a total staff of 870 -- because some targeted employees have been offered early retirement options and have several weeks to decide. The cuts are believed to be scattered across campus, including at the university's Quick Center for the Arts and the university's marketing department. The workforce reduction is on top of voluntary retirements and a structural re-organization designed to cut costs, said Rama Sudhakar, a university spokeswoman. In a prepared statement, Sudhakar said the challenges of the current economy are having an impact on all institutions, including higher education.
