Sixty-five professors and librarians at the University of Kansas are planning to leave the school under an early retirement plan aimed at cutting KU's budget.
About one in four eligible faculty members are taking the offer. To be eligible, the employee must be age 62 or older and have worked for a Kansas university for 10 years.
Provost Carl Lejuez has said the buyout will save money and open jobs for junior faculty members.
“The latter will be particularly important to ensure the university is investing in early career faculty who will be the next generation of educators and scholars,” said a media release from Lejuez’s office about the retirements.
KU Faculty Senate President Kirk McClure believes it’s a wrongheaded way to tackle the university’s finances. He’s concerned losing experienced professors will hurt KU’s standing in national rankings, making it harder to attract students.
“Kansas, I think, is going to lose its top-tier university,” McClure said in an interview. “KU will no longer be seen as a top-tier school.”
The university is cutting $20 million as it embarks on a long-term plan to improve its financial health. That translates to a nearly 6 percent spending cut.
Stephen Koranda has more: