University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee logo. Campus Update from the office of the Chancellor Mark A. Mone.
April 21, 2020
Chancellor's Update: Follow-up on Furloughs
Dear Faculty and Staff,
This is a particularly difficult message to share today as we continue to see the catastrophic economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. UW-Milwaukee and every UW System institution face new and serious financial challenges. And, every day we are confronted with painstaking decisions that none of us wants to make but that are necessary to keep our campuses operating and to carry out our dual mission. These decisions hurt and we know they will have considerable impact on the people we care deeply about and on whom we rely to serve our students – our faculty and staff.
While UWM will benefit from $17 million in federal support through the CARES Act stimulus funding, half that amount ($8.5 million) is directed toward financial relief for students. We fully support that relief for our Panthers. The remaining funding will help UWM with its FY 2020 operating deficit created by COVID-19. Having said that, the operating and enrollment-related losses continuing into this summer and next fall, under the best-case scenario, are expected to be far greater. Most institutions of higher education are predicting, at a minimum, very significant losses in onsite operating revenues and enrollments, even if institutions are able to offer onsite instruction in the fall, a decision to be made later. 
We shared the likely need for furloughs in my message to you last week and in comments from our leaders during the April 17 town hall meeting. We talked about how furloughs can help us to address the dramatic financial toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provost Britz and I have been in consultation with our governance leaders, deans, division heads, and others about the need for both across-the-board and position-specific furloughs on our three campuses. 
A furlough is an unpaid, required leave of absence, either intermittently or for a specified consecutive number of days, during which the employee remains an employee of the institution. A furlough is not a layoff. We are using furloughs instead of layoffs because it is our goal to bring employees back to their positions when normal campus operations resume, and our revenue sources are stabilized. Furloughs also help us to preserve employees’ positions and benefits.
Position-Specific Furloughs
We are at a point now that we must move ahead with position-specific furloughs (PSFs). UWM’s implementation of PSFs is based on UW System’s Interim Policy on Furloughs. In the UWS policy, PSFs are referred to as “Consecutive Day Furlough Assignment.” UW System has published FAQs on its policy. PSF does not apply to UWM faculty. We will implement PSF initially over two phases.
The first group of employees will be placed on position-specific furloughs beginning May 2 through Aug. 31, 2020. Deans, division heads, and directors were asked to identify employees whose work cannot be performed remotely and who are not designated as essential to current onsite operations, as well as employees in units most impacted by our immediate financial losses. Employees who fall in this group will be notified by April 24.
The second group of employees to be placed on PSF include individuals who are performing duties and responsibilities remotely that are not mission critical at the present time. This will help achieve budgetary savings and mitigate overall anticipated losses to UWM. This group of employees will be placed on position-specific furloughs beginning May 16 through Aug. 31, 2020. Employees who fall in this group will be notified by May 9. Due to campus needs, some employees may be identified later than May 16 and would be furloughed for a different period of time. 
For further details on position-specific furloughs, please see UWM’s PSF guidelines here. Supervisors will be in direct communication with their employees to share details and discuss individual circumstances.
Across-the-Board Furloughs for all Employees
We will implement a furlough plan for all employees beginning as soon as logistically possible and the details are confirmed, through June 30, 2021. We are currently looking at 8 furlough days for 12-month employees, with six furlough days for 9-month employees. There will be a higher number of furlough days for higher-income employees. Voluntary furloughs are also being considered. We are working through the details of these plans and will update you as soon as those details are available.
We anticipate additional financial challenges tied to the interruptions and uncertainties of COVID-19 before we see a clear path to recovery and returning to normal campus life. We hope to learn more by early summer about the pandemic forecast and the possible continued impact on instruction, housing and other operations in fall. As difficult as it is to be patient during this ambiguous time, I ask for your understanding and fortitude.
We are not alone in these struggles. Campuses across the nation are similarly grappling with these very same wrenching decisions. I am grateful for the thoughts already offered by shared governance leaders and other groups and the guidance they will continue to provide as we venture into difficult months ahead
As chancellor, I take responsibility for the tough decisions of today and for our future. Please know that decisions are approached in such a way to help us remain effective after passing through this COVID-19 vortex. UWM will support you and we will get through this together. 
Best regards,
Chancellor Mark A. Mone
Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
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