OU President James Gallogly announced his second major reduction in force terminating 28 individuals, mainly from OU's information technology department, according to an OU press release.
According to a statement shared with the OU community via email, Gallogly announced the layoffs would assist with tuition and fee stabilization. An OU Info post about the layoffs said they would save the university $2 million. The statement also said layoffs would take place in the landscaping department at the OU Health Sciences Center.
"We will continue to address unsustainable or inefficient costs that make OU less affordable for students and reinvest in areas like competitive salaries, graduate student fee reductions, and tuition and fee stabilization," Gallogly wrote in the statement.
These layoffs mark the second instance of major reductions in force since Nov. 1 of last year when Gallogly terminated 50 university staff members, mainly from OU's landscaping department and the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Gallogly previously told The Daily in December more layoffs could be expected after the holidays. Documents obtained by The Daily showed the university reduced expenses by $4.7 million as a result of the Nov. 1 layoffs.
"The individuals affected are our colleagues and friends," Gallogly wrote in the statement. "This is a difficult time for the University as we attempt to work through financial challenges that could veer us off course. Thank you for your service, support and commitment to our students."
Update 2:06 p.m.: A university spokesperson has confirmed that 19 of the terminated positions were in the information technology department.
