Syracuse University cuts under three dozen jobs as it deals with pandemic financial losses

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University on Thursday confirmed that some of its administrative units, schools, and colleges eliminated “less than three dozen” staff positions.

The job cuts are part of the university’s effort to deal with its financial losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Syracuse in April had announced that the pandemic cost it $35 million in revenue.

Syracuse University said it is “supporting” the laid-off staff members with “significant” severance packages, four months of fully paid health insurance, access to outplacement services to assist in finding another position, and three months of access to employee-assistance programs, per a statement Syracuse forwarded to CNYBJ.

Syracuse University says it is “working hard to minimize the impact” of the COVID-19 pandemic on the campus community, including taking several steps to address unplanned expenses and unrealized revenue incurred because of the coronavirus crisis.

As previously announced in April, these steps include senior leadership compensation reductions, a faculty and staff salary freeze, temporarily freezing hiring of non-mission critical positions, and putting all new capital projects on hold.

As part of that effort, each school, college and department was asked to reduce its respective budgets by 5 percent.