MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University is furloughing around 875 staffers due to a possible $40 million loss from the coronavirus pandemic, the college said Friday.
The school issued a statement saying the furloughs will start on May 24 and have staffers return to work either June 28 or July 26.
WVU Vice President Rob Alsop late last month said the school was considering furloughs. In a video posted online, he said college faculty, staffers scheduled to teach a class during the furlough period, student employees and federal work study or graduate student assistants are not being considered for the furlough.
The college suspended in-person classes in March. Furloughed employees were notified Friday morning and will continue to receive their benefits, WVU said.
In addition, West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons announced Friday that in order to save the athletic department $3 million, he will take a 10% salary reduction for the next fiscal year along with football coach Neal Brown, men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins, women’s basketball coach Mike Carey and baseball coach Randy Mazey.
Coaches and athletic staff earning more than $100,000 will take a 5% salary reduction, and staff making less than $100,000 will take a 2.5% reduction, Lyons said.
Lyons also said 65 employees, or nearly one-third of the athletic department’s workforce, will be furloughed for 60 days starting on May 24. Some employees will not return to the department and current job openings will not be filled, he said.
