CSUMB announces layoffs during final town hall meeting.
An earlier version of this story reported that CSUMB had a $4 million deficit after cost reductions. According to the university, the layoffs eliminated that $4 million deficit.
Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) is adjusting to the budget deficit going into the 2024-2025 academic year with 12 unionized staff employees being laid off and four management employees not being retained. Layoffs were announced at the final town hall of the semester held on Thursday, May 23.
In an email sent to staff and faculty members by university President Vanya Quiñones, the logistics of the layoffs were outlined. Temporary and probationary employees are laid off first and then by seniority of permanent employees, starting with the least seniority.
All managers were notified layoffs would be occurring in their areas of responsibility on the evening of May 22 while unions were notified on May 23 at 8 a.m. Employees were to be notified by the end of the day, ceasing work immediately. Some employees might be reassigned to other departments on campus.
Laid-off employees living in East Campus or CEHI housing can keep their employee rates until June 30, 2025.
The university also announced the following cost-saving measures implemented this semester to reduce the budget deficit. The layoffs made at the end of the semester combated the $4 million budget deficit CSUMB was facing.
- Additional cuts to operating budget (in addition to the $11M cut of overhead expenses for the Academic Year 2023-24)
- Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP)
- Eliminating open positions
- Centralizing open positions and approval for new hiring
- Increase in Student Faculty Ratio to 2015 levels (28.6 SFR)
- Restructuring/reorganizing departments
- Investing in technologies and improved processes
Organizational changes will be finalized by the university throughout the summer. Quiñones concludes her email, saying “I ask that we all remember less is less, and we will need to provide grace and practice patience with our colleagues as we move through the summer and early fall.”