Western Michigan University To Layoff Eight

When it comes to colleges most of us know the names of very large schools, universities in our local area and our Alma Mater. So unless you live near, or went to Western Michigan University the odds are good that you do not know much about it. For those of you who are not Alumni here is a look at how the school describes itself and its many accomplishments, “One of the top-100 public universities in the United States, Western Michigan University is committed to being learner centered, discovery driven and globally engaged…. Since then, WMU has undergone dramatic growth in size and stature. Today, the University offers more than 240 academic programs to students pursuing degrees through the doctoral level. More than 20 percent of its 25,000 students are enrolled in graduate course work, studying in disciplines ranging from atomic physics and graph theory to medieval literature and blind rehabilitation. Of 101 graduate offerings available, 30 lead to a doctoral degree… Engagement with the communities it serves, innovation and outreach to enhance economic development have become the University’s hallmarks in recent years. WMU plays an integral part in efforts to diversify the state’s economy and has partnered locally with two world-class teaching hospitals to launch a new medical school in 2014.”

The school is getting ready to layoff eight workers, at minimum. The number is a minimum because the school has yet to approve their final budget for the coming school year. When all is said and done, and the final numbers are in the layoff total could be much higher, as public schools have been feeling some serious pinches from the decrease in tax revenue that the are given by the state and federal governments.

When the final numbers are in some fear that the action may look a lot less like eight people out of work and a lot more like a mass layoff action. For those of you who are not familiar with the idea of a mass layoff action here is a look at how the federal government defines the term, “The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program collects reports on mass layoff actions that result in workers being separated from their jobs. Monthly mass layoff numbers are from establishments which have at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) filed against them during a 5-week period. Extended mass layoff numbers (issued quarterly) are from a subset of such establishments—where private sector nonfarm employers indicate that 50 or more workers were separated from their jobs for at least 31 days.”

Interestingly enough the school seems to have been awarded an ice cash grant to help migrant worker students to enroll at the school. In a recent release the school talked about the grant, “Western Michigan University has been awarded more than $2 million over the next five years to support first-year undergraduate students who are migrant or seasonal farm workers or the children of such workers. WMU’s Division of Multicultural Affairs received $407,706 from the Office of Migrant Education in the U.S. Department of Education to fund that effort for 2012-13, and expects the office to renew the grant for another four years for a total of $2,075,735.”