USM Board of Regents allows ‘certain personnel actions' in response to budget cuts
The University System of Maryland Board of Regents unanimously approved a resolution Monday that would let presidents in the system assess potential cost savings such as furloughs, reductions in salary and closing of schools for certain number of days.
But the resolution, approved by the board in less than 10 minutes during a virtual session, states any actions must be reviewed with the university system chancellor and 'in consultation with appropriate employee organizations.'
The board also approved an amendment that would allow the Office of the Attorney General to review any proposal that seeks to reduce employment benefits to ensure that it complies with the Fair Labor Standards Act. This amendment was offered by board member William T. 'Bill' Wood, who serves as the treasurer.
The resolution comes as the university system's 12 institutions and three regional centers face a reduction of $155 million, or 7% of their budgets, in fiscal 2026.
The reductions came as the General Assembly attempted to close a projected $3 billion deficit on its way to approving a $67 billion spending plan last month for fiscal 2026.
It's unclear exactly how many employees could lose jobs or how many vacant positions would go unfilled, especially as President Donald Trump (R) continues to threaten cuts in federal spending that would affect states.
Several Maryland institutions such as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, one of the state's four historically Black colleges and universities, have started announcing financial measures. Some of those include eliminating positions that have been vacant for at least three years, instituting 'a hiring pause with some rare exceptions' and initiating telework Fridays for some employees between May 23 to Aug. 8.
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'We are enacting these measures to minimize the impact on our faculty, staff, and their families,' UMES President Heidi M. Anderson said in a statement Tuesday. 'This will be a difficult period for everyone, but these efforts will make our university, our region and our state all the stronger moving forward.'
A university spokesperson wrote in an email Monday that the school has 632 full-time employees earning $50,000 and more. The school's student enrollment for the spring was 2,841.
Morgan State University in Baltimore, the state's biggest Black institution, with nearly 11,000 students and 2,926 employees, anticipates a $12 million decrease in appropriations.
In a statement, the university said it plans to institute a hiring freeze on nonessential roles, eliminating 35 vacant positions and 'the restructuring and/or elimination of select staff positions (up to 15 in total).'
Morgan State, which isn't affiliated with the state's university system, highlighted the fact that no tenured or tenure-track faculty positions will be affected by its proposals.
'We are deeply mindful of the potential job loss this process may entail for some members of our dedicated staff,' according to the statement from Morgan State. 'The University did not arrive at these decisions lightly. Every step taken was grounded in sound fiscal management and compassionate leadership, with the goal of protecting the long-term health and sustainability of the institution.'
Another historically Black institution, Bowie State University in Prince George's County, with more than 6,000 students, does not plan any staff reductions or furloughs. However, a spokesperson with Bowie State also said Monday that the school does not plan to fill 50 vacant positions.
A spokesperson with Salisbury University said the university also doesn't anticipate layoffs or furloughs at the university with 7,025 students and slightly more than 1,100 full-time employees.
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'Our goal is to protect and prioritize our students and our employees as much as possible,' spokesperson Jason Rhodes said in an email Monday. 'SU will continue to follow that principle as long as challenging budget times continue.'
Stuart Katzenberg, with the American Federation of State, County and Muncipal Employees Maryland Council 3, said Monday his organization has not discussed or received any proposals on salary reductions or furloughs from any representatives of the university system.
'If they were to pursue those with AFSCME, they'd have to come and negotiate with us as well as apparently get approval by the chancellor. They have not done that with us yet,' said Katzenberg, director of growth and collective bargaining for the union.
AFSCME represents more than 6,000 employees in the university system, including custodians, mechanics, administrative assistants and those in information technology. The university system and AFSCME signed a contract in August that increased the minimum salary of $38,000 and boosted annual leave and other benefits.
'Our members make the campuses run. Without them, the campuses wouldn't be clean. There wouldn't be air conditioning in the summer,' Katzenberg said. 'So without our members, the campuses couldn't run.'
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