Dear Faculty and Staff:
We hope this message finds you well as we continue to adjust to the evolving situation and seemingly endless snow. Spring will be here soon! As you know, we shared information on April 13 regarding a variety of options available for voluntary reductions and retirement. As of today, 83 faculty and staff members have expressed interest in one or more of these options, and we have been working to answer their questions and share information relevant to their particular situations.
We have also received many inquiries from individuals who fall outside of the current eligibility criteria, particularly for the retirement incentive plan. After careful consideration, the senior leadership team, in consultation with the deans, has decided to expand the criteria to include employees who are 55 years of age with at least 20 years of continuous service. If you have already expressed interest through the online form, you will not need to do so again.
For those who qualify under the new criteria, you will receive a packet of information in the mail shortly. If you wish to express interest, please do so via the online form by May 4, 2020. Once approved, individuals who qualify will receive an individual agreement which they will have 45 days to review and sign. During this time, we will continue to be available to answer questions and will offer additional virtual information sessions. While some are waiting to explore this incentive in anticipation of another offer later this year or next, please note that this is the only retirement incentive the college will extend.
As a reminder, the goal of the retirement incentive program and the transition to retirement program is to reduce our overall workforce in a humane, compassionate way that supports employees who are ready to take that step in their career path. As a result, we anticipate that the majority of these positions will not be backfilled and we will need to work together to reorganize, restructure and eliminate activities in order to move forward successfully with a smaller workforce.
We would also like to direct your attention to our updated FAQs on the HR website, where we have been documenting the answers to many of the questions we have received. We encourage you to review these FAQs, and if you have additional questions, to reach out to humanresources@ithaca.edu.
We hope this message finds you and your families well and would like to once again express our gratitude for everything you are doing to support Ithaca College.
Best regards,
Hayley Harris
Vice President, Human Resources and Planning
La Jerne Terry Cornish
Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20200424140740920