(LFC Comments: Thanks to a Kirtland Lobbyist for this email from Morris Beverage to the Lakeland employees.  We wonder if the idea of the dorms are now permanently shelved? We wonder how many Vice-Presidents will be furloughed, and will Morris be taking a reduction in pay and benefits?)
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From Morris Beverage

Subject: Important Announcement

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a monumental shift in the current and future landscape of higher education.  During these uncertain times, I am so proud of how our faculty, staff and administration quickly transitioned to teaching and operating remotely to support our students in new and creative ways.

Prior to the pandemic, Lakeland was experiencing a shortfall in tuition revenue due to historically low unemployment for the academic year ending June 30, 2020.

Now, like other colleges and universities across the nation, Lakeland is facing additional financial challenges brought on by cuts in state funding and a significant decline in revenues due to COVID-19.

Lakeland will lose $781,000 in state funding between now and June 30, 2020, and anticipates a $3.1 million to $4.1 million cut in state funding for FY 2021. Enrollment projections for summer and fall semester are uncertain, as current and prospective students are dealing with financial, family, health and technology challenges.

As a result of the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of the college during the past two months and into the future, Lakeland is announcing reductions in force effective May 15.  The affected full and part-time non-instructional personnel are from a wide range of college departments and have served in a variety of roles. Actions being taken include:

• Permanent layoffs of 37 employees
• Furloughs of 51 employees
• Permanent reduction in hours for 25 employees

Current cost-savings measures that will continue include:

• A hiring freeze with rare exceptions for continuity of operations or revenue generation
• Reductions in non-essential operating costs
• Suspension of college-sponsored travel

These actions are being taken now to assure the continued financial strength of our institution while providing a high-quality educational experience for our students. More than 80% of the college’s budget is comprised of salaries and benefits. Unfortunately, a balanced budget cannot be reached without reducing these expenses.

Those employees who are impacted will be notified by an email from human resources this evening. They will have the opportunity to meet with human resources to answer their questions and may make arrangements to collect their belongings from their offices if needed.

Having to let colleagues go or reduce their hours is a painful thing to do under any circumstance. These are unprecedented times, which unfortunately require difficult decisions to ensure we continue to meet our mission of helping area students reach their educational goals.

Our students demonstrate their resilience every day, and so will Lakeland overcome these challenges. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Morris.

Categories: Lake, Lakeland Community College, Uncategorized

Tags: FT