Kent State deans and vice presidents are encouraged not to hire new employees, at least until the state of Ohio releases the budget for the next fiscal year.

The budget, traditionally released June 30, will “give (Kent State) a much better idea of what our situation will be and whether we will have to lay people off or whether we will be able to survive this very trying financial time,” said Timothy Chandler, senior associate provost.

Chandler said it is not an official hiring freeze. University officials are being encouraged not to hire unless it is absolutely necessary.

“There is hiring going on, but it is very limited,” he said. “There are some hires, but nothing like as many as there normally would be. It’s very difficult to get approval for hiring by any of the vice presidents unless they think it is absolutely necessary.

“What presidents and vice presidents are doing is trying to ensure that, given our budget situation, we don’t go out and hire people and have to lay them off almost immediately,” he said.

Chandler said higher education has been able to stay safe from state budget cuts in recent years, but that doesn’t look to be the case this year. Currently, Kent State is interested in preserving the jobs that are already here until the new budget makes it clear what they can actually afford.

Contact editor Cody Francis at [email protected].