Layoffs at UK, None at EKU

While layoffs are reportedly underway at the University of Kentucky, cutbacks at Eastern Kentucky University should be less painful.  “While we are not having lay-offs, in the sense that the University of Kentucky did, we are having on this campus a fairly significant reduction in the workforce,” said EKU President Doug Whitlock.

Whitlock imposed a hiring freeze last December and has allowed natural attrition to pare down his payroll.

“We have a reduction in our faculty payroll of something around 2% and something double that on the administrative side of things.  And the impact that that will have here, just as the layoffs in Lexington have,” said Whitlock.

With his payroll smaller, Whitlock predicts there will be a negative impact on the local economy. 

“We got out in front of this thing last December, and started capturing every position as it became vacant, and made strategic decisions on whether or not that position would be filled or whether or not some other position somewhere else needed to be filled,” said Whitlock

The Lexington Herald Leader reports layoffs began this week at UK.  

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