Kent State University announced a hiring freeze, and a travel freeze for faculty and staff effective Wednesday.
The university said in a media release it decided to curb spending to address what it called "inflationary pressures, impending governmental mandates and headwinds that may impact university resources."
Kent State University’s President Todd Diacon will release the Fall 2024 Annual Financial Update on Thursday, according to the release.
The financial update will compare the university’s fiscal year of 2024 financial performance to the approved budget. It will also outline revenue and expense assumptions used to develop the 2025 fiscal year’s budget and will forecast the fiscal year 2026 and beyond, according to the release.
A hiring freeze for all full- and part-time staff and faculty positions includes:
- Creation of new positions
- Replacement or repurposing of current vacancies
- Reappointments of term positions
- Positions that become vacant while the freeze is in effect
Exceptions include:
- All Federal Work Study and student employment
- Fully funded grant positions
- A limited number of faculty positions that are essential to delivering classes may be considered. Any exceptions must be approved by the provost and president.
Exceptions may also be considered for certain positions, primarily those involving health and safety and those involving compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations, according to the release.
Exception requests must be discussed in person by the executive officer and president. Before submitting a request for exception to the Strategic Hiring Committee, a signed approval from the president is required, according to the press release.
All positions that have been reviewed and approved by the Strategic Hiring Committee and not yet offered to prospective candidates will be frozen. This includes positions in active recruitment and early interview stages, according to the release.
The travel freeze disallows non-contractual travel and university-funded travel for most nonessential business trips including domestic and international travel.
Exceptions for travel made by vice presidents include:
- State-mandated meetings where no virtual attendance is provided
- Presenting at an approved conference required for accreditation, certification and/or job performance in which there is no virtual attendance provided
- Contractually obligated travel where no virtual attendance is allowed.
Diacon will discuss the budget and provide time for questions from faculty and staff in his next Talking with Todd session at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2024.
