After suspending 55 program intakes, St. Lawrence College is bracing for widespread and massive staff layoffs.
College President and CEO Glenn Vollebregt said in an e-mail:
“This has been an incredibly difficult time as post-secondary institutions across the country make necessary changes to remain financially stable following the Federal government policy changes that have occurred since last year. I know many people are struggling to process the changes made to our college since these policy changes took effect.
Recently, we announced the suspension of 55 program intakes, which represents 40 per cent of our programming at SLC. This week, restructuring is occurring which involves the elimination of several departments and a significant number of positions across all employee groups. These changes are intended to help us be financially stable and able to deliver on our commitments, while ensuring we are focused on our core business.
As part of our restructuring, management and administrative positions have been reduced by about 42 per cent and we will be reducing support staff by about 34 per cent over the next couple of days. Faculty positions will also be reduced, the process as outlined in the faculty collective agreement is underway and will be communicated to employees/members in alignment with the collective agreement.
Our actions since the beginning of this year have been driven by the need to refocus SLC on our core business of financially sustainable academic programming that meets labour market needs, while continuing to ensure our students can succeed. As we move forward, I would like to remind folks that our values will guide us in the challenging process of reimagining our future when we are under pressure as a college and as a sector. I ask everyone to lead with empathy, respect, and consideration for our students and each other.”
More information is to be shared with staff February 19.
