Vermont Tech’s President Dan Smith released the following statement Monday on the recently announced layoffs at the Randolph-based college: “I am sorry to be in this position today. After our fall enrollment numbers came in, it became apparent that it was not realistic to expect to get through this fiscal year without personnel actions among the Faculty of the college. We continue to face multi-million dollar shortfall this year that will compound into the next, just as it has from prior years to present day.
"Today we informed eight members of our full time faculty that as of July 31, 2015, they would no longer be employed by the college. I do not discount the personal, emotional or organizational toll associated with these steps. Some of them are among our best and most diligent professors. The people affected have given heart, energy and many years to the college and our students. I am grateful for their service.
"As a consequence of the paltry state support we receive, this college is an enrollment-driven institution. Relative to public institutions in other states, we are uniquely vulnerable when fewer students come through the door. Instead of ensuring the availability of the programs necessary to drive the state economy and sure to give Vermonters a chance to be successful, the state has put those programs at risk. This is a foreseeable consequence of the state’s funding history and practice.
STORY: VTC to lay off eight full-time faculty, 27 adjuncts may not be hired back next fall
"The frustrating irony is that there should be nothing but confidence in the quality and value of the education we offer at Vermont Tech. More students could benefit from the programs we offer, taught the way we teach them, with a heavy emphasis on hands-on learning. As I travel the state, meeting with employers and public officials, our graduates are in demand. Throughout this country, from the first day they get to work, our alumni are running farms, designing and building projects, managing manufacturing lines, companies and clinics. You cannot open a national newspaper without reading an article about the steadily growing need for students trained in applied technical programs like ours.
"It is my hope that much of what the college needs can be achieved through retirement and other attrition, but the actions taken today were unavoidable. I believe I have taken steps strategically, and in a manner that ensures we remain consistent with our mission: the delivery of high quality, applied educational programs that effectively prepare our students for the workforce of the state and region. When it comes to classroom, lab, farm, clinic and field, no one does what we do, as well as we do it.
"This situation is also frustrating because inquiries are up. Awareness is up. Programs are focusing on innovation and access. To parents and future students, I would say that I hold no doubt that the future of this institution is strong and whether we are talking about renewable energy, civil and environmental engineering, computer science or agriculture, we will continue to deliver the most unique and highest quality career-oriented education in New England.”
Facts:
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8 full time faculty across four departments informed of lay-off. Five of them were tenured faculty, for whom the layoff date is July 31, 2015.
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Departments affected: Civil Engineering Technology; English, Humanities and Social Science; Landscape Design and Horticulture; Architectural Engineering Technology; Electrical Engineering Technology.
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6 non-instructional staff were laid off in April of last year, and the salaries of senior administrators were frozen this fiscal year.
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Layoffs are done by seniority, according to the terms of the Faculty Federation contract.
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Total number of full time faculty: 80
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Total number of part time faculty: 128
Source: Vermont Tech – Vermont Tech is a leading public college with a mission of applied education. One of the five Vermont State Colleges, Vermont Tech serves students from throughout Vermont, New England, and beyond at its two residential campuses in Williston and Randolph Center, regional campuses in Brattleboro and Bennington, and at six nursing campuses located throughout the state. Vermont Tech takes an optimistic, rooted and personal approach to education to support students in gaining the confidence and practical skills necessary to not only see their potential, but to experience it. Our academic programs encompass a wide range of engineering technology, agricultural, health, and business fields that are vital to producing the knowledgeable workers needed most by employers in the state and in the region. www.vtc.edu.