UT Austin to eliminate nearly two dozen positions

AUSTIN, Texas - Nearly two dozen positions are being eliminated at UT Austin, resulting in layoffs. But as the provost puts it, these resources will be "repurposed." 

The UT-Austin Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. William Inboden, announced the elimination of 23 positions in January.

What they're saying:

Daniel Ramirez is a member of the Students for a Democratic Society and a UT sophomore. 

"We found out about it first through whispers from those who received their layoff notice, right? So, what that means is that there was no warning about these layoffs, and it was very, very sudden," said Daniel Ramirez. 

Once the spring semester finishes, operations will conclude for the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Office of Community Engagement, and the Vick Advising Excellence Center.

"The layoffs were not any teaching staff," said Ramirez. "It was faculty that helped with things like transfers, but also helped advise curriculum and things like that."

It also erases three out of the eight office leaders. Additionally, several programs will shift into new categories and operate under different department heads.

"There has not been mass layoffs of faculty, but what I can say is that across the UT System, they have been auditing certain courses, and the types of things they're auditing are exactly what we think they would be, which is things relating to race, things relating to gender," said Ramirez. 

The state Legislature passed Senate Bill 37 last summer, which requires an annual review of the core curriculum. Ramirez says he’s afraid these layoffs are just the start of UT following in the footsteps of other universities, such as Texas A&M, that have moved to terminate women's and gender studies courses.

"It's important to understand how the world works," said Ramirez. "And the question is, is race and gender a part of our world? The answer is yes. So, should we talk about it? The answer is yes."

However, the school has not indicated any plans to do so.

A UT spokesperson says the university has nearly 20,000 employees. 

UT Austin's full statement

"Undergraduate research, advising, student programming and faculty support are rooted in our colleges and schools, which are best equipped to meet their needs. The changes will allow us to focus resources for these programs where they are most needed and most effective. 

Our resolute commitment to the highest quality of undergraduate teaching and learning means that we regularly assess how best to allocate resources to support the most meaningful undergraduate experience possible."

Provost William Inboden's email to colleagues:

"Dear Colleagues,

As part of our continuing efforts to optimize our administrative structure and streamline our academic operations, I am sharing some organizational changes we are making within the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. The following programmatic changes are designed to enhance collaboration, create new pathways for partnerships, prudently steward our resources, and strengthen existing units within our colleges and schools:

The Office of Academic Technology will move to Faculty Affairs, under Senior Vice Provost Tasha Beretvas.

First and Transfer Year Experiences will move to Strategic Enrollment Management, under Senior Vice Provost Miguel Wasielewski.

The Business Affairs team in Academic Affairs will move to Academic Administration and Planning to offer centralized support, under Senior Vice Provost Kate Calder.

The following areas will wind down and conclude operations as separate units by the end of this spring semester:

• The Center for Teaching and Learning
• Office of Community Engagement
• Vick Advising Excellence Center
• Office of Undergraduate Research

I recognize that the conclusion of certain programs marks a significant change, and I am deeply grateful for the work from each of our colleagues and partners within these areas. As we transition to a new structure, resources provided by these programs will be repurposed to better serve CSUs with parallel functions.

Thank you for your continued support and forbearance as we navigate these changes together and work towards building an efficient, responsive operation that best supports our faculty, staff and students in achieving academic excellence."