APSCUF, the union that represents faculty at State System of Higher Education schools, announced that retrenchment letters have been sent out to faculty members at two universities, but IUP is not one of the universities.
In a news release, APSCUF announced that retrenchment letters were sent to 26 people. Lock Haven University issued 23 letters and Mansfield issued three. APSCUF said that the notices could take effect at the end of the 2023–24 academic year, and APSCUF does not expect additional notices this month, its president said. The release also stated that “such letters typically go into effect at the end of the academic year in which they are delivered. The timeline of this year’s letters is due to a side-letter agreement.”
Receiving a letter does not guarantee that a faculty member will lose their job as the union is working with the university and state levels to find alternatives to faculty cuts, including qualified transfers to other departments or universities in the state system. APFSCUF president Dr. Jamie Martin said that every letter is traumatic, and that these faculty members are now going through the possibility of losing their jobs during the pandemic, and as these schools are going through the State System redesign. Both Mansfield and Lock Haven are part of the northeastern hub of three universities that will merge to become one entity.
Earlier this year, IUP President Dr. Michael Driscoll said that as IUP continues to work its way out of financial trouble, they had no plans to retrench any faculty this year. This is one year after IUP originally sent out 81 retrenchment letters, which was later reduced to 74 due to retirements and other circumstances.
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