Dear CAS colleagues,
As you know, our college faces a $3.65 million budget deficit this fiscal year (FY25). As a result, we have made the difficult decision to eliminate approximately 42 positions across four CAS employee groups: officers of administration, classified staff, career faculty, and undergraduate student employees. (Graduate employees and tenure-track faculty are not included.) These actions will result in reduced expenses of approximately $3.5 million for CAS.
Affected employees were notified today, and we are committed to providing support to them and to approaching their transitions with care and respect.
The decision to eliminate these positions was not made lightly. We understand and deeply regret the impact the layoffs will have on those affected. Layoff decisions for FY25 were guided by the CAS Budget Reduction Principles, which were developed in consultation with faculty and administrative leaders across the college. Rather than applying across-the-board cuts, the reductions were made strategically, in consideration of core academic priorities, operational needs, and the ability of units to fulfill their missions with reduced staffing. That said, none of this makes the loss of colleagues and their positions any easier. I will share more information next week about our plans to ensure the continuity of our core functions in units affected by the reductions.
Human Resources and Employee and Labor Relations (ELR) staff are available to provide assistance and guidance throughout the transition period to those who seek support. Please reach out by email to hrinfo@uoregon.edu and/or uoelr@uoregon.edu for help. I am also attaching a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document to help answer additional questions you may have.
While these actions are incredibly difficult, they are necessary to ensure we can fulfill our commitments to students and to preserve CAS’s financial health during an unprecedented time for higher education in the US.
Looking ahead to FY26, we expect that additional reductions will be necessary and may include tenure-track positions and involve program closures. The UO is facing a significant structural budget deficit in the coming year, and as the university’s largest college, CAS will need to address a proportionate share of that shortfall. We are still in the planning phases, and no final decisions have been made about additional budget adjustments. CAS leadership and I will continue working over the summer to evaluate options and develop a strategic, measured, and compassionate approach to any future reductions. We will share more information in late summer or early fall.
These are undeniably challenging and uncertain times. As we navigate these challenges, I remain deeply grateful for all you are doing to advance our mission. Please show understanding, patience, and support to your colleagues during this transition.
Sincerely,
Chris
Chris J. Poulsen
Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Earth Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences | University of Oregon
1030 E. 13th Avenue | Eugene, OR | 97403
Pronouns: he/his
Who got the cut, exactly? And who was consulted? How “fair” was this process?
A friend got the cut today. She and one other in the Poulsen’s Deans office so I heard, the only classified staff in the office. No info on who else.
Hope she finds something new quickly. Not a great time to be without a job.
Only a rumor. 5 people from Poulsen’s office got cut and there are several classified staff in that office, not just the two that got cut. Not sure the classification of the other three.
from United Academics email.
We learned that one of the faculty members to receive a layoff notice was Mike Urbancic, who is just finishing his term as President of United Academics. Mike has worked in the Economics department for 13 years and has been one of the most highly engaged faculty members across campus. For those of you who attend the Provost’s Teaching Academy, you will know Mike as a central figure in many initiatives to elevate teaching at the UO. For those of you who have had Mike as an instructor, you know he goes beyond the classroom to engage students through fun activities such as tabletop gaming clubs and after-hours movie screenings. Or perhaps you’ve crossed paths with Mike at UO’s Pine Mountain Observatory, excitedly showing off the wonders of the night sky to the visiting public.
Many of us know of Mike in his union-related roles—first as VP of Non-Tenure Track Instructional Faculty Affairs, and later as President. His engagement with not just faculty matters, but those issues affecting all workers on campus, has earned him respect across all corners of the university. Because of his long history of care towards the community of workers on campus, UA recently appointed him into the new position of VP for External Relations. Although classified as a Career faculty member, Mike has engaged in service for the university at the level of a tenured full professor. Each faculty member embodies a facet of the university’s mission. Mike represents many of our core values, including excellence in teaching and care for the health of the whole university community.
I taught the Econ department’s honors research class for years, for our top students. When I asked them why they’d majored in Econ the modal response was “I took the intro class from some guy – I forget his name but he had a big beard – and he made it really interesting.” That is Mike. Their sadness at now being stuck with me was implicit. (FWIW the modal response before we hired Mike was “my Dad/Mom lost their job and I wanted to understand why.”)
Subject: An Update Regarding the GTFF Presidency
Dear GTFF members,
I am writing with very bittersweet news regarding the GTFF Presidency.
In the weeks since I was elected GTFF President for the 25-26 academic year, I have learned that my GE funding is in serious jeopardy of being cut. When I ran for a second term as President, I was expecting to have another two years of funding, however, due to Trump’s attacks on “DEI” grants and other recent UO budgetary restructuring, I do not have a guaranteed GE position for next year.
Because of the personally stressful nature of the funding precarity and because it is important that the GTFF have consistent leadership heading into our next bargaining cycle, I have made the difficult decision to step down from the office.
Our executive board has followed Article 7, Section 3 of the GTFF’s bylaws to determine who will assume the Presidency in my place. To that end, please join me in warmly welcoming Rye Davies into the role of GTFF President. Rye (they/she) will relinquish her role as co-VP for Grievances and assume the role of President beginning June 16, 2025.
On a personal note, I want to express my gratitude and deep joy to past, current, and future GTFF members and leaders. Serving as the President of the GTFF has been the highlight of my career as a graduate student at UO, and I can’t wait to organize strategically and raise hell as a proud rank and file member of our incredible union.
Finally, if you, like me, are in a department that is facing funding precarity under Trump’s attacks and UO’s funding cuts, please reach out to your departmental steward or to me. There’s no denying it: corporate control of our government and our higher education systems is growing under Trump and it’s fucking bleak. But, if we all stand together against these greedy corporate overlords, we will win.
If you have questions about my decision or about the GTFF bylaws, please don’t hesitate to reach out at president@gtff.net.
In solidarity and with love,
Presence O’Neal
Outgoing President, Incoming Rank and File Member
Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation
I’ve just been thinking about how disrespectful and unprofessional it is to fire someone by email. There can be no trust if that is the way the administration treats members of the faculty. Where is the compassion for the humanity of the employees they are firing, that Long and Scholz emphasized in their town hall?
Who was fired by email?
Yes, all universities are having extraordinary difficulties. Yet, UO insensitively continued to recruit TTFs even until a few months ago. Most universities had hiring freezes long before then. And now, several people are being let go. The choice of the unfortunate victims may not even be merit based. And there is probably more to come with entire programs being potentially shut down. A sad situation indeed.
It’s hard not to feel like this is a manufactured crisis. Hiring TTF while also planning on firing TTF gives away the game — it isn’t really about the money.
Don’t forget the raises being bargained by the unions during that time as well.
It was perfectly foreseeable that raises and TTF hires would lead to layoffs shortly.
Given that the (faculty) raises were not even enough to compensate for inflation this seems like a second order effect. I didn’t go to the town hall – can anyone summarize what Scholz and Provost what’s his name said? And was Moffitt really not there?
Full YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/I4SO00lKuRY
True about inflation. Tens of millions of people have been facing that for years. It almost surely was responsible for Trump’s re-election. It may well do in Trump if it starts up again with him. I hate inflation about as much as anyone. If I were the dictator of monetary policy, the inflation goal would be 0%, not 2% as now. What an idea, the 0% Inflation party! Did I ever mention, I also know how to balance the federal budget.
That said, what we are talking about at UO is a (more orl less) mathematical equality. Only a certain number of dollars. OK, fight for those dollars. They will come out of someone else’s pocket. In this case, non-TTF employees. It sounds likely that TTF people are going to get it too.
Wait until there’s a nasty recession.
If urbancic was really fired, there is no “mission” or “priorities” justification for who got cut. He was (pls lord is) one of the best professors at UO. I took a class from him in undergrad. I’m now an assistant professor at a large public university. Even at 19, I knew he was incredible. Now, trying to teach easier, smaller courses, I am simply in awe of how he taught.
Cut the staff in the deans office. Push retirement on profs over 70 who are going to be FINE. cut services. But my God don’t take urbancic.
He was :( I work in Mike’s dept and we are all beyond devastated. I’ve only known him for a year, but he was the first faculty member to even learn my name and say hi in the halls.
Maybe we can just agree that it’s a terrible situation for everyone who was laid off, and not minimize the experience of the other people who were “cut.” The staff who were laid off – whether they were in the dean’s office or elsewhere in the college – deserve to keep their jobs just as much as your favorite instructor does. I hope you have more sympathy for the staff that work in your department, should they ever encounter this situation.
Hard disagree there – some people are better at their jobs than others and [theoretically, in a just world] the UO should work to keep those folks.
I’m one of the staff “cut” Thanks for trivializing my very real fear and uncertainty over how I’m going to feed and house my toddler. Not everyone who is being laid off will be “fine”.
I’m sorry this Professor is being cut as well, it sucks when good professors no longer can teach and inspire students.
But this sucks for absolutely all involved.