The University of Idaho Argonaut

The president of the University of Idaho announced Tuesday he will order a graduated furlough for about 2,600 employees statewide.

The move from Duane Nellis had been anticipated since Idaho university presidents were given unilateral authority to do so at the State Board of Education’s February meeting.

Nellis exercised those powers in ordering the furlough, though Executive Director of Planning and Budget Keith Ickes said the authority was not necessary to order the furloughs they did.

“In taking a conservative look, (the Legislature reduced) the likelihood as much as possible on their part for additional midyear budget cuts next year,” Ickes said.

Employees may begin furlough hours next Monday, and must take them by either June 25 for 12-month employees or May 15 for faculty with nine-month contracts. Furloughs may be taken in one-hour increments. Faculty and exempt staff may request a voluntary temporary reduction in salary until the end of the fiscal year in lieu of taking a furlough.

A 30-day window will begin Monday to allow for appeals to the furloughs.

Employees making less than $22,500 annually, a small cushion above Idaho’s minimum standard for living wages, are exempt, as are those on an HIB visa and those paid 100 percent by grant funds or certain other gift funds. Employees with a start date after Feb. 25 are also exempt.

The salary calculation is “the employee’s full institutional salary from all sources (eligible and non-eligible),” according to UI’s human resources Web site.

Nellis, installed as president in July 2009, released an e-mail to students and one to faculty and staff. In his message to faculty and staff, he acknowledged furloughs require “a sacrifice of almost every individual employed by” UI, but that the alternative is significant layoffs.

In his e-mail to students, Nellis said the “top priority” in designing the furlough plan was ensuring the impact to students is minimized.

Jack Miller, chair of the faculty senate, had signified support for cancelling classes, to ensure the furloughs were bona fide and not simply unpaid labor.

Nellis said in his message that classes will not be cancelled “unless other mitigating or extreme circumstances require it,” and the frequently asked questions on the furlough Web site addressed the question by calling class cancellation a last resort which must have the dean’s approval.

Ickes said that pay cuts, layoffs and vacancies left unfilled are still on the table for the university to deal with continuing financial difficulty.

“We have done hiring freezes, we’ve held vacancies available and not filled them, consolidated positions, eliminated positions,” he said. “Those are all still tools of the trade.”

Nellis noted that universities and higher education systems across the nation, including California, Maryland and Utah, are taking furloughs, as well, in some cases without discrimination to salary.

More information is available at UI’s Web site, at http://www.uidaho.edu/furlough.