IU to cut 47 Bloomington positions

In a report to members of the IU board of trustees Thursday, Interim Provost Michael McRobbie said the University plans to cut 47 positions on the Bloomington campus for the 2006-07 school year. \n"Most of those involved are retirements where (the position) would not be filled," said Larry MacIntyre, director of media relations. "I don't know how many, but only at most a handful will be layoffs." \nMacIntyre added that these cuts would free up additional money that will be used for raises, including a 4 percent increase for faculty, so that the University can remain competitive with other research universities. \nTrustee William Cast said he supported the move and the good work IU President Adam Herbert has made finding areas in which the University could save money. But Cast added that this may be the last year in which the University could solve its budget problems through attrition, and said that larger scale layoffs could come if the economy doesn't improve or the state does not supplement the University with more funds. \nMacIntyre added that the University was concerned by a recent study performed by the American Association of University Professors, which found that IU ranks next to last in faculty salary in the Big Ten. He said the University wants its salaries to become more competitive, and this is a step towards reaching that goal. \n"(McRobbie) has cut some positions that he has found to be excess," MacIntyre said. "He has been using the saving to give a slight boost to faculty raises."\nMacIntyre said he did not believe that choosing not to fill positions would end up significantly hurting the University. \n"I don't think it does hurt (the University) by (positions) not being filled, its not any major problem," he said. "Its just part of reorganization McRobbie is trying to do to make (the University) more efficient." \nAs a result of the position cuts, officials said University staff will also see raises of between 2 and 3 percent.\nOther reported changes that come with the $2.32 billion budget for the 2006-07 year that the trustees are expected to approve during the business meeting today include part-time faculty teaching more classes.