Pepperdine is quietly adjusting to the loss of 102 employees including 63 who received layoff notifications Feb. 27. The remaining 39 positions belonged to employees who retired or moved to other jobs and will not be replaced.
President Andrew K. Benton said he did not expect any more layoffs to be announced for fiscal year 2010 although global economic troubles will necessitate cutting costs in ways that have yet to be determined.
Supervisors informed most laid-off staff of the decision just before spring break almost two months after Benton warned the Pepperdine community that some workforce reductions would be necessary. To facilitate a smooth transition some staff will remain in their positions for up to two more months and all will receive wages and benefits until May 1.
Pepperdine officials did not specify which positions were cut or how many positions each department lost citing respect for those affected.
“The demographic impact is broad but in my view largely irrelevant since these are individual people about whom we care a great deal wrote Benton in an e-mail to the Graphic. They are not merely categories and statistics.”
He said the university cut full and part-time positions with an emphasis on reducing administrative costs.
“I don’t know what your faith tradition leads you to do at a time like this Benton wrote on March 2, when he announced the layoff decision to all faculty and staff. If you find it appropriate I hope you will take time – even now – to offer a quiet prayer for those who have been so painfully and sadly impacted by the economy and the decisions we have made.”
Payson library is feeling the loss of Nan Bartlett who was laid off from the circulation desk in multiple ways according to student supervisor Becky Gallardo.
Gallardo a junior who has worked under Barlet for a nearly year and a half said the workload has increased since Bartlett left but the main difference is the quiet.
“She was really friendly – really loved talking to whoever she knew that came into the library Gallardo said. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye; or good luck; or lucky you you get to get out of here.”
Although Bartlett was nearing retirement age Gallardo said the layoffs reflect a sad reality.
“From a student perspective the understanding is they’re trying not to raise tuition – either [staff members] stop coming here or I do students do she said. It’s just depressing. I haven’t really seen [economic troubles] as much in my life but it’s pretty terrible.”
After the market downturn during fall 2008 Pepperdine began to reduce its budget but it soon became apparent that deeper cuts would be necessary. In a memo distributed Jan. 5 Benton warned that layoffs would be announced on March 1.
Pepperdine is offering employees $3000 in medical expenses a severance package based on years of service and a job coach to help them find new employment according to Jerry Derloshon director of public relations and news.
“The university is reaching out to make the transition as smooth and even helpful as possible Derloshon said. I’ve been involved in three corporate downsizings and Pepperdine has handled it the best. … It’s to the credit of the university to be out there talking and really searching for the best approach to this.”
Pepperdine is far from the only school to face budget difficulties. The Arizona Republic announced that Arizona State University eliminated 550 jobs and may cut hundreds more in addition to forcing all employees to take unpaid leaves of 10 to 15 days and discontinuing 48 programs.
In addition on Monday The New York Times reported the increased pressure on public universities: The University of Florida cut 430 faculty and staff spots and the University of Nevada Las Vegas lost 100.
“Hardly a day passes that I do not receive new information about what our colleagues in higher education across the nation are having to do to respond to this economic recession Benton wrote. Most are making cuts deeper than ours but I take no comfort in that. Pepperdine is about people and we have lost some great people.”
Pepperdine has taken significant steps to curb its spending: The university no longer funds non-essential travel or class parties and has terminated the spring semester in Thailand program. Feb. 27 the university announced the end of men’s track and women’s swimming and diving. In addition Benton Provost Daryl Tippens and others have volunteered for a 10 percent reduction in their salaries.
Officials decided which jobs to cut based on the need for the position and the effect on students according to Benton.
“In making our decisions we put students first both in positions impacted and in the very fact of reallocating funds to help control cost and increase financial support Benton wrote.
Students said they empathize with those who lost their jobs, even if they haven’t seen direct changes stemming from the downsizing.
It’s really sad just because so many people need these jobs to pay for school if they’re a student or to support their families said junior Joel Zari, who said he does not personally know anyone who was laid off. It’s hard to justify but I’m not in the administration so I don’t know [whether this was the right cut].”
Wages account for 56 percent of the university’s total expenses according to University Controller Brian Thomason.
Benton said Pepperdine has now reallocated $15 million and will spend the next several months developing plans to reallocate approximately $10 million more.
“For me the key is to avoid both over- and under-reaction he wrote. I hope the economy will experience a turnaround and that the scale of the challenge will change; however we can’t count on that and in fact I don’t expect it. We can control only what we can control.”