On December 16, Rensselaer laid off 98 staff members in an effort to handle the financial crisis that is facing the United States. However, in the month following the decision, both students and faculty have voiced their concerns about the layoffs.
Although the Division of Human Resources is not allowed to release the list of the staff laid off due to privacy reasons, cuts were made across RPI’s five schools, and also affected positions in places such as the Dean of Students Office and Archer Center for Student Leadership.
In October, President Shirley Ann Jackson sent an e-mail to the RPI community that stated the Institute was taking proactive steps to deal with the economic crisis, and that it was “necessary that we implement portfolio contingency plans [without layoffs], Institute-wide vacancy management (i.e., a hiring freeze), and attrition management.”
The financial situation of the Institute, however, has grown more dire since October, and RPI evaluated a number of ways to reduce costs, according to a frequently asked questions page on the Human Resources website. Alternatives to layoffs that were explored ranged from furloughs and salary reduction for all employees to a four-day work week; however, the website stated nothing was “sufficient to address our needs.”
RPI has been the focus of local attention, as it is the only college to lay off employees thus far. The College of Saint Rose, Siena College, Union College, and the Sage Colleges have noted that they do not plan to enact staff cuts, while SUNY Univeristy at Albany and Skidmore College have said that they are not sure of their actions yet.
In a survey of over 200 public and private institutions conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education and Moody’s Investors Service in December, at least 11 percent of schools say that they will have to lay off employees and 26 percent are considering doing so.
Each dean and cabinet member, along with help from Human Resources, evaluated the staffing in their portfolios to “identify which positions could be eliminated with the smallest impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations,” according to the FAQ provided on the HR website. After sharing their recommendations with Vice President for Human Resources Curtis Powell and other members of the President’s Cabinet, each Portfolio Leader finalized their decisions.
Several of those affected have been let go after decades of service to the Institute. Former Director of Technology Commercialization Chuck Rancourt ’70 said he did not expect the layoff to affect him and the “action stung and was very hurtful to me given the extent of my involvement with RPI,” having notably served as a former Rensselaer Alumni Association Board member as well as founder of the Rensselaer Hall of Fame and the current chair of its selection committee. Rancourt was “very disappointed that RPI did not implement actions that would have shared the pain from the economic pressures instead of focusing on the termination of many dedicated and loyal employees.”
Another staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said that she had given her life to RPI and its students, stating, “We’re supposed to be a family.”
Several also noted the manner with which the layoffs were carried out, some stating that only a short time was given to clear out their desks and turn in their ID cards and keys. “It felt like being at a wake,” according to one laidoff staff member.
Vice President for Strategic Communications and External Relations William Walker and Vice President for Student Life Eddie Ade Knowles, however, stated that the layoffs were handled very compassionately and felt that the severance pay and benefits offered to laid-off employees were very fair. The Institute also hired a Career Transition Consultant who will assist all affected employees with a program as they transition to new employment.
A meeting between the faculty and administration has been called by Jackson and Provost Robert E. Palazzo to discuss the impact of the economic crisis on the Institute today at 3 pm in the auditorium of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
President of the Faculty Senate Bruce Nauman commented, “Some faculty and staff expressed a willingness to accept a 5–10 percent reduction in pay if that would save the jobs of good employees.”
Questions were raised in particular after hearing about the Institute’s membership donation of $36,000 to the Clinton Global Initiative amidst the layoffs, more than schools like Brown University, Columbia University, and the University of California, Los Angeles; however, in an e-mail to the RPI community, Walker stated that the donation had been paid over the past two years and that “participation in the Clinton Global Initiative offers exciting opportunities for Rensselaer,” citing the Rensselaer Engineering Education Across Cultural Horizons initiative’s growth as one such opportunity that was enhanced by the membership.
Students are rallying to request more openness from the administration following the layoffs. “We want to know that all members of the RPI community are going to be treated fairly,” said Brian Donlan ’10, who organized a group of students over winter break through a Facebook group called “Students Against Financial Mismanagement at RPI,” which at present has 1,035 members.
He continued, “We need to know that the financial decisions that impact every person at this Institute are being made with care, both for the fiscal and human impacts of the decisions.”
This group of students is beginning with a publicity campaign to inform others of the layoffs and financial situation, and is in the process of promoting a petition signed to demonstrate support for their goals.
Also working on a response to the situation is the Student Senate. The group had a long discussion about how the financial crisis have affected students, noting that some students don’t even have an adviser as a result of the layoffs and that some classes will not have TAs due to the lack of funding within departments.
The Senate is waiting to form a response until they analyze “what we can do and what we should do,” Grand Marshal Kara Chesal ’09 said in the meeting.
Knowles expressed interest in working with the Senate, Union Executive Board, and interested students to have a forum focused on informing the student body about the financial crisis and how it is affecting both students and the Institute in general.
Jackson said via e-mail, “We must reaffirm our commitment to one another and to Rensselaer, knowing that we all will have to work harder, and more efficiently, to meet these challenges, and to carry out our educational and research mission.”
