Listen to this story
Loading audio file, please wait.
Speed
1.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
1.25
1.50
1.75
2.00
(Photo courtesy of Oakland City University)
Oakland City University says nearly 170 employees could potentially be laid off as the school deals with “ongoing financial challenges.”
The university filed a WARN notice with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development saying it will conduct a mass layoff beginning June 1, but spokesperson Todd Mosby said the filing is only a precautionary measure.
In an email to Inside INdiana Business on Thursday, Mosby said the notice was filed on behalf of legal counsel to ensure compliance with federal regulations that apply to employers with more than 100 employees.
“Under those guidelines, organizations are required to provide advance notice when layoffs are possible,” Mosby said. “The filing is procedural in nature and does not confirm that layoffs will occur. However, we acknowledged that layoffs remain a possibility as we navigate ongoing financial challenges.”
The university declined to provide more specific details on the financial challenges it is facing.
According to the WARN notice, dated April 1, the layoffs would affect 110 full-time employees and 57 adjunct and part-time employees. Oakland City did not specify which positions would be affected.
However, Mosby said no one is being let go at this time.
“We are actively implementing strategies to strengthen financial stability and position ourselves for long-term sustainability,” he said. “We are confident that a viable path forward has been established, even as we work through our current fiscal pressures.”
Oakland City University is a private higher education institution with 505 full-time undergraduate students enrolled as of Fall 2024, according to the university’s website. The university is located in Gibson County, about 40 miles from Evansville and about 140 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
Story Continues Below