PORTLAND, Ore. — This story is courtesy of the Portland Business Journal, a KGW news partner. Read their story here.
Dozens of non-tenured Portland State University faculty could be laid off by the end of the year.
Close to 100 faculty members received notices this week that they could lose their jobs. The union representing faculty said more notices could land later this week.
According to a PSU spokesperson, the university is required to send notices of potential layoffs as part of its bargaining agreement with the American Association of University Professors. The spokesperson said “no final decisions have been made at this time.”
PSU was Oregon's third-largest university as of fall 2023, with 20,040 students and 1,584 faculty.
“Portland State University's structural deficit requires us to make difficult trade-offs this year in order to fulfill our mission,” the PSU spokesperson said in a statement. “Potential layoffs are one part of a comprehensive financial sustainability plan that includes a process of academic program revitalization, curricular stewardship, administrative operational adjustments, a focus on revenue growth opportunities, and retirement incentives.”
The potential layoffs come at a busy time for PSU, one of the state’s largest employers. In addition to the budget deficit, PSU is also preparing to build an $857 million performing arts venue on campus as part of the city's plan to replace the aging Keller Auditorium. The venue could begin hosting Broadway shows starting in 2031.
“Investments in concrete and steel are not investments in our students, who have worked so hard just to show up to PSU. Instead of knowledge serving the city, administration wants buildings to serve the city,” the union wrote in a statement on its website.
AAUP represents a majority of the campus’ faculty and academic professionals, and claims that non-tenured faculty are receiving the brunt of the budget cuts when the administration should be focused on “growing enrollment strategies (and) investing in faculty and students.”
According to the university, final notices of termination will be sent on or before Dec. 15 and will go into effect at the end of the academic year.
