BOSTON (WHDH) - The University of Massachusetts Boston announced Wednesday that 36 employees will receive layoff notices and seven workers will have their work hours reduced under a plan to balance its budget and reduce a multi-million dollar deficit.
“The staffing reduction decisions that have been made were driven by the financial and operational challenges that our campus faces,” Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Marie H. Bowen noted in a message sent to members of the UMass Boston community.
Of the 43 people being affected, 14 are members of the university’s classified staff and 29 are from the professional staff, according to the school.
The staffing decisions come as part of $30 million deficit-reduction plan that UMass Boston officials outlined at a campus meeting last month. The school has been asked to conclude the current fiscal year with a budget deficit no larger than $5 million.
“We regret the effect that this process will have on the lives of our valued colleagues, and we are grateful to them for their many contributions to the University,” Bowen said.
Impacted employees will have 60-90 days before the action takes place. The school says they will be eligible for severance pay and job-search assistance.
Boston’s only public university has just more than 16,000 students enrolled this year.
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