Under a plan approved earlier this month by WCU’s Executive Council, the majority of university employees will take two furlough hours on Thursday and the remaining eight hours on Monday, with Friday, July 3, as a previously scheduled state holiday in recognition of Independence Day.

“This will allow most of our leave-earning employees to take the time off in one fell swoop, and enable them to have a four-day weekend,” said Kathy Wong, director of human resources.

Although administrative offices will be closed, several functions of the university will remain operational, including police, food service, residence hall and academic support areas.

In addition, Executive Council is working on a plan to allow faculty members to take off the 10 furlough hours without negatively affecting classroom instruction time, Wong said.

The action by Executive Council was made necessary when N.C. Gov. Beverly Perdue in late April ordered a “flexible furlough program” for all state employees, which reduced annual salaries by one-half of one percent through June 30. Employees are receiving 10 hours of time off in exchange for the loss in pay.

“Closing the majority of the university around a holiday weekend when a lot of folks were already scheduled to take time off seemed to be the most efficient and economical way to deal with the mandated furlough,” said Chuck Wooten, vice chancellor for administration and finance. “In addition to making it easier to manage from a record-keeping perspective, we will see additional cost savings in terms of utilities.”

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Last modified: Tuesday, June 30, 2009