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Evangel University announces reduction in positions

Published on Dec 19, 2013 by Evangel University News

Dr. Carol Taylor, president-elect/CEO of Evangel University in Springfield, Mo., announced to the University community today the reduction of 12 staff positions, effective January 3, 2014, with benefits and salaries continuing through the end of January. Six faculty contracts will not be renewed for the 2014-15 academic year.

Those staff and faculty affected are being notified this week to allow maximum time to assist them in their transition.  Seven current vacant staff positions not being filled bring the position reductions to 25. This represents a 5.78 percent reduction in University positions.

Budget reductions were required to address operational deficiencies and some job redundancies, she noted.  “Combining the budgets of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Central Bible College and Evangel University during the process of consolidating the schools revealed operational deficits that had to be addressed,” Taylor said.

Some current jobs will be consolidated and some current vacancies will not be filled to assist in this measure.   In addition to position reductions, the University made reductions in other operating expenses.  Overall, the University made $1,030,377 in budget adjustments, which represented a reduction of 2.7 percent in the operating budget.

Taylor said that all budget considerations are based on an assessment of operations with four priorities for moving the University to financial strength:

• Guarding Evangel’s mission and identity

• Protecting Evangel’s ability to deliver quality programs and services to our students with increased effectiveness and efficiency

• Adopting structural models and systems for long-term sustainability

• Minimizing impact on salaries and benefits

Dr. Taylor recognizes that the work at Evangel is taking place within the larger context of challenges facing all of higher education with national declines in both the number of traditional college-age population and funding, which are reported regularly in the Chronicle of Higher Education and other publications about higher education today.

“Knowing this difficult, but prayerful decision is necessary to provide efficiencies in budgetary operations does not dampen the difficulty of informing these valued employees of the necessity of these reductions,” states Dr. George O. Wood, chairman of the Evangel University Board of Trustees and general superintendent of the Assemblies of God.

“I commend Dr. Taylor and the campus leadership for making the tough decisions which will keep Evangel University fiscally viable.”

Evangel University is a Christian university of arts, sciences, and professions with an embedded seminary located in Springfield, Mo.  The University has over 2,500 students that come from 48 states and abroad.