The University of Rochester is reversing some of the cost-saving measures they had to implement over the last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A letter sent out to the UR community said that faculty and administrators who had salaries reduced will see their salaries reinstated to their full amount, with the exception of some senior administrators who will continue to receive a reduced salary through June.
UR is also reinstating some of the contributions toward a retirement program for employees, and it is also reinstating an annual wage and salary program, subject to change depending on the university’s financial position.
The letter from top UR officials say they also are committed to raising the minimum wage for university employment to $15/hour by December 2022, spread out in two stages -- this December and then the following December.
Nearly 3,500 employees at UR were furloughed last springdue to the financial pressures caused by the pandemic, but a university spokesperson tells WXXI News that virtually all of them have been brought back to work over the last seven months.
UR officials say that while revenues from tuition and room and board have continued to be negatively affected, clinical volumes at the University of Rochester Medical Center have returned to pre-COVID levels more quickly than expected.
The officials caution that while the financial outlook is brighter, they still cannot predict with certainty where the virus will be over the next few months and the UR will continue to monitor and respond to the evolving situation as needed.
