SOU Plans Layoffs After June To Balance Budget - Sam Wheeler, the Mail Tribune

Southern Oregon University will lay off at least a dozen staff members after the end of June, and a number of contract employees should expect to have their annual contracts terminated by then, a university official said Monday. The layoffs are painful but necessary, as the university works to cut about $2.5 million to balance its budget, said Jim Beaver, director of interactive marketing and media relations at SOU. In addition to the dozen layoffs, the university will not fill some vacant positions, will reduce its number of adjunct professors -- professors who do not have permanent positions at the school -- and discontinue hiring searches for current vacancies. "This is the fourth spring in a row the university has had to make these difficult adjustments," said Beaver, noting that previous cuts included furlough days for all staff.