University President Joseph Nyre announced Monday that Seton Hall will freeze employee pay and furlough 150 employees, effective May 1, in an effort to mitigate potentially tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a University-wide email sent from Nyre, employees that will be covered by the furlough include those whose positions require them to be on-campus and cannot work from home or are not needed to operate the University at this time. All furloughed employees will continue to receive their usual health, vision and dental benefits provided by the University and pay both the employer and employee portions of furloughed workers’ insurance premiums.
A possible furlough was first reported by The Setonian on April 18, which noted that according to a Faculty Senate Executive Committee report, the furloughs could save the University a substantial but undefined sum of money.
Additionally, the University announced that it would be freezing the pay of all full and part-time employees but included exceptions for “contractually obligated salary increases and increases for faculty members approved for promotions or tenure by the Board of Regents at its April 2020 meeting.”
Nyre cited “continued ‘Stay at Home’ directives and further macroeconomic uncertainty” as the reasoning behind the new measures.
“We are hopeful that, through the combination of University-paid benefits, along with enhanced benefits through federal pandemic relief funds, the financial impact will be lessened for furloughed employees,” Nyre said.
Currently the furlough, pegged by the University as temporary, has no projected end date.
“While we expect the furlough will be temporary, economic and public health conditions will ultimately determine when we can end the program,” Nyre said. “I understand the disruption this causes for our employees and their families and ask for your patience as we navigate Seton Hall through the pandemic's wide-ranging effects. Taken as a whole, these measures will put Seton Hall in the best possible position for short-and long-term success.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back later for updates.
Nicholas Kerr can be reached at nicholas.kerr@student.shu.edu. Find him on Twitter @NickKerr99.
