President Liebowitz had a lot to say about the work of the SRC in his fall address to the campus, and for good reason—the committee has played an important role in guiding the reductions in staff and reorganization efforts that have taken place during the past two years.
SRC business was also the focus of a recent Senior Managers meeting and a forum hosted by Staff Council, a recording of which is available on the Council’s website.
The bottom line coming out of these meetings is mostly good, though the numbers speak to dramatic institutional change. After two years of attrition—encouraged by early retirement and voluntary separation programs—the College’s staff has shrunk by almost 15% since the summer of 2008. As of October 21, the College employed 856 FTEs (these are “full-time equivalents,” not actual people), down from 1021 in August of 2008. See the graph below for an historical perspective on the size of the staff.
These reductions were instrumental in resolving the budget deficits that the College forecast when the recession hit and our endowment plummeted and fundraising became more uncertain. They also guided us down to an overall FTE count—in the neighborhood of 850—that the SRC believes is a reasonable threshold or limit going forward, based on the College’s financial resources.
With fewer staff resources, we have also worked to consolidate departments with overlapping responsibilities and reassign staff members from one area of the college to another. Not surprisingly, this initiative has generated anxiety, with colleagues wondering whether or how their areas will be affected, which is why clear communication is so important. That said, we are aiming to complete major consolidations of departments by January 1.
Despite the progress we’ve made, challenges remain.
In particular, Vice Presidents/Deans must continue to work with managers/supervisors to refocus departmental missions, prioritize work, and identify those functions that we will no longer support because of reduced resources, or do differently in light of fewer staff. This effort—and the vertical and lateral communication it requires (a dept shouldn’t stop doing something without figuring out how that loss will affect other areas of the College)—has been a struggle. Staff colleagues continue to report that their workloads have not been adjusted downward, or that they are doing more with less. As we pull out of this recession, we must do a better job of aligning expectations with our available resources.
Feedback? This has been a broad-brush summary, and I would welcome any comments, questions, or recommendations. You may post anonymously if you like.
