Hiring freeze lifted

Written by Lauren McLaughlin Friday, 05 February 2010 08:00

President Richard Hanson officially lifted the partial hiring freeze put into place last December this past Wednesday. The freeze was implemented to deal with budget shortfalls that total $2.5 million. Hanson placed the freeze on 75 percent of open positions.

Najla Amundson, NDSU’s media relations director, explained that Hanson’s reason for implementing a hiring freeze was to get a better handle on where the university was at financially.

“Hanson anticipated that he would have a better handle on where we were at in terms of money coming in and he knew by then he would have a better handle on enrollment figures,” Amundson said.

According to the Bismarck Tribune, funding deficits were due to lagging tuition collections and a greater number of tuition waivers. Hanson was quoted explaining that NDSU was unable to keep up with increased costs to accommodate a record number of students.

Operating expenses as well as using savings from salaries and fringe benefits from the positions that were held open are helping to decrease funding discrepancies.

Hanson made very clear that the hiring freeze had nothing to do with the recent NDSU projects such as the President’s house and Richard H. Barry Hall, but questions whether a financially stable state such as North Dakota is providing enough support and to their colleges.

The end of the freeze could affect as many as 30 open positions, but could depend on budget finalizations from spring semester.