Sunday, April 30, 2017

University of Montana wants to buy out as many as 100 employees, mostly faculty - KEILA SZPALLER , Missoulian

The University of Montana is hammering out options to offer buyouts or early retirement to 80 to 100 employees, primarily longtime faculty, a state higher education official confirmed Wednesday. UM employs 631 faculty FTE, or full time equivalents, from its general fund, said Kevin McRae, spokesman for the Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE). A decrease of 100 would represent a nearly 16 percent reduction; that drop would not include faculty paid for from research dollars. If approved, a $2 million appropriation that's pending in the Montana Legislature would pay for "faculty termination costs" such as sick leave, which can cost UM $25,000 in a lump sum for just one retiring employee, McRae said. http://missoulian.com/news/local/university-of-montana-wants-to-buy-out-as-many-as/article_dd5c003b-a191-5a4f-8319-ede3838a6a65.html