Dear Kent State University Staff,
I am writing first and foremost to say thank you for the stellar job that you have done since the COVID-19 pandemic began back in March. Without your efforts, we would never have been able to complete the spring semester so strong or launch such a successful fall semester.
I hope that you have seen the recent news that for the ninth time, The Chronicle of Higher Education has recognized Kent State as one of its Great Colleges to Work For, and that Forbes named us the fourth best employer in Ohio. We are so pleased to receive these recognitions, and I would be remiss in not giving credit to you, our devoted staff, who work tirelessly to ensure that Kent State remains a great place to work and learn, even under the incredibly stressful conditions this year has imposed.
When it became clear in the spring that the pandemic would force us to cut our budget, each of you responded admirably, willing to sacrifice and accept an adjusted salary in order to see our university continue to thrive.
I am pleased to report that while we planned for the worst and made significant cuts to our budget, our fall enrollment (and thus tuition and fee revenue) declined less than we estimated when building our budget for this year. This better-than-expected outcome is due to the hard work and diligence of so many Kent State employees, and again, I thank you for all that you did to see us through the crisis.
Because we planned for the worst and worked for the best, we are now able to restore some of the wages reduced in July. As of Oct. 1, staff making $49,999 or less per year who received a salary reduction will have their wages restored to their full rate that was in effect on June 30. Staff earning $50,000 to $149,999 will have half of their salary reduction removed. For staff earning more than $150,000, there will be no salary restoration at this time. For this latter group, let me reiterate how much I appreciate your continued sacrifice.
Salaried employees will see this adjustment reflected in their Oct. 15 pay, and hourly employees will see the adjustment reflected in their Oct. 23 pay.
By Oct. 1, more than 93% of our staff who received salary adjustments will have had their wages at least partially restored. Once spring enrollment numbers are finalized, we will review our financial status and, if able, further restore wages.
This wage restoration will not remove nor reduce the additional leave that was provided to use by the end of the current fiscal year.
I am so happy to be able to share this good news, which all of you helped to make happen by your hard work, dedication and willingness to sacrifice when called upon. This is the essence of what we mean when we say Flashes Take Care of Flashes.
Sincerely,
Todd Diacon
President