UNC Asheville announces layoffs

UNC Asheville announced on Monday that, due to an anticipated 10 percent budget cut for the state university system in the next fiscal year, it had eliminated 43 staff positions, resulting in eight layoffs.

Of the 43 positions, according to the campus press office, 26 were vacant. Of the remaining 17, nine staffers were found jobs in other open positions.

The eight employees laid off were given 30 days notice and severance pay, according to a press release. No faculty positions were eliminated.

The cuts will also mean the closing of the campus convenience store and the phasing out of a spectroscopy research center and the Environmental Quality Institute, which analyzes local water samples for municipalities and individuals.

Brian Postelle, staff writer

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10 thoughts on “UNC Asheville announces layoffs

  1. Rob Close

    Instead of closing the convenience store, why not force the business students to “intern” at it, and turn business around possibly by giving them real responsibility (profit-sharing?)

  2. Ugotta be kidding

    Why dont we force Rob to run the convenience store to teach him responsibility. What a totally asinine comment.Why dont we force you to volunteer. Perhaps they seek real responsibility by prudently investing their time by forsaking short term financial gains for more profitable long term objectives. Real responsibility comes from being effective stewards of our own lives not from spewing solutions that involve time spent by others and not ourselves.

  3. travelah

    This is a common trick in both public and private concerns. The school is not really cutting 10% and nor are the other locations throughout the state. The eliminated positions most likely were not going to be filled. If the need was to cut expenditures by 10%, it isn’t going to occur and the problem will continue.

  4. travelah

    Why not make art students intern at the convenience store? Most places call this work study and if business students are forced to do this, somebody goes without some student aid. Besides, internists are paid as well.

  5. travelah

    To think about it further, cutting convenience store positions is probably further evidence that the “10%” target is a complete sham.

  6. travelah, think about it further. In an institution of this size cutting jobs is not the only way to cut costs and reduce the budget. You can’t tell much at all about the overall budget of UNCA from this snippet of an article.

  7. cwaster

    Well cutting jobs is always better than halting big construction and development/building projects on campus of coure. (Can you taste the deep sarcasm?) Of course, don’t let yourself be fooled. UNCA is about making money.

  8. travelah

    It wasn’t cutting jobs that was the issue alone. It is what kind of jobs are being cut. Cutting convenience store clerk positions has no punch and eliminating mythical jobs is not cutting expenditures.
    As for halting construction projects, capital budgets are managed quite differently from operating budgets. Halting construction on significant projects often costs more than any potential savings.

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