Dear Colleagues,
This week some of our colleagues will retire from UNH to begin the next chapter in their lives as part of the recent staff Separation Incentive Program. We are sad to see them go and grateful that they chose to share their knowledge and skills with us. I have heard from leaders of the employee councils that there is concern regarding the impact of these losses, and an assumption that many of the vacancies will not be filled creating a larger burden on current staff.
I recognize that change can be unsettling as we strive to be more nimble in how we achieve our work and provide the best possible experience for our students. The goal of the SIP is to generate cost savings that we could turn around and reinvest in our infrastructure and strategic initiatives. This will allow the university to attract the best and brightest students as well as talented faculty and staff to provide a world-class education.
A total of 68 employees are retiring under the SIP program; 47 of the positions will be directly refilled over the next three to 18 months. In addition, we will temporarily hire back a number of our colleagues who took the SIP to support the transition. The SIP is a tool that has led to increased efficiency as some units work to realign their structure and others are streamlining their work where possible.
If you have any concerns about the impact of the SIP on your organization and workload, please reach out to your leaders or feel free to reach out to me directly.
Sincerely,
Christopher D. Clement
Vice President for Finance & Administration
