Workforce reduction process framework, FAQs now on Institutional Realignment Plan website

Dear University community, 

Earlier today you received an email from Human Resources outlining the process and timelines we will follow as we develop a workforce reduction plan. In case you missed it, you can find it and the related details on our Institutional Realignment Plan website.  

We arrived at this process following a week of consultation with shared governance and institutional leaders. I thank shared governance leaders for the time, feedback and suggestions they continue to provide as we shape the components of the IRP. The workforce reduction process and the resultant decisions will not be easy, and I recognize your concerns and anxieties as we move through steps ahead. An important part of this plan involves providing resources and support for those who are laid off. Our human resources team will continue to expand the list of supports and resources on our IRP website so that it is as robust as possible.  

I want to thank those of you who came in person or joined via Zoom for Convocation on Thursday. If you missed it, a recording of the event will be available early next week at this link. During Convocation, Provost Martini and I updated faculty and staff members on UWO’s budget deficit, our realignment plan and the steps we are taking to together rebuild the University for a stronger future. If you have questions we did not address, please reach out to us through the form on the IRP site. We will use your questions to inform the FAQ also on the site and respond to you individually when necessary.  

This has been a week of nonstop activity as we prepare for the start of the fall semester, and it’s great to see students moving in, exploring campuses and taking advantage of everything that UWO has to offer. On Wednesday and Thursday, we had some of the best weather ever to mitigate the sweat equity often involved with move-in on the Oshkosh campus. I want to thank again the nearly 100 faculty and staff members who volunteered their time to assist with this annual feat. Our goal is always to ease college transitions, particularly as so many students move into their residence hall rooms and communities.  

Lastly, a reminder that Opening Day Honors and Awards is set for 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, at Culver Family Welcome Center. I hope you will join Provost Martini and me as we recognize the achievements and honors bestowed upon our faculty and staff. 

Chancellor Andy Leavitt