The University of Kansas will have to make difficult financial decisions in the face of federal funding uncertainty, according to an email sent to faculty Tuesday.
According to the email, the university is implementing a new position review process. Positions, promotions and raises will be evaluated on if they are “mission-critical” and “aligned with university strategy.”
More information about this new policy will be coming soon from Chari Young, KU’s chief human resources officer.
University administration also discussed potential terminations and changes to pay in the email.
It said that as the university gets more clarity on state funding and federal funding reductions, it will make decisions about necessary position-related or pay-related actions.
According to the email, the university has received termination notices for multiple federally funded projects.
University administration said it will “consider all options to protect our core missions and research priorities.”
In the email, university administration also said that divisions of the university should prioritize using unit-specific accounts to budget for next year’s expenses before receiving general use funds from the university.
It said that general use funds must be prioritized for university-wide commitments.
The email said that everyone who manages budgets should be very careful with the money they spend in the face of this funding uncertainty.
"Staff should scrutinize all discretionary spending and spend only the funds needed to accomplish activities that are essential to our core mission of education, service and research,” the email read.
University administration also stated that the university should avoid making new multi-year commitments at this time.
According to the email, questions can be submitted to administration through an online form. University administration will continue to host virtual town halls to keep the KU community updated.
