Cornell University Cuts Nearly 100 Non-Faculty Posts in Three Years - MANU RATHORE, Cornell Sun

Despite growing class sizes, Cornell has continued to reduce its non-faculty workforce due to budget constraints since 2008, leaving some Teaching Assistants feeling overburdened by classroom duties. Over the last three years, Cornell has reduced its academic non-faculty staff, which includes T.A.s and Research Assistants, according to Mary Opperman, vice president of human resources. In November 2008, Cornell’s academic non-faculty staff totalled 1,206. By April 2011, however, the number of academic non-faculty had been reduced to 1,111 employees, according to a report by Cornell’s Division of Budget and Planning. Opperman said that the reduction in the non-faculty workforce at Cornell is the result of attempts to balance the University’s budget after the national financial crisis of 2008 led to serious funding constraints.