April 29, 2020
Dear L&S Faculty and Staff,
I continue to be amazed and proud of the work all of you have done and continue to do on behalf of the College of Letters & Science, as we navigate the challenges of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. As I have said before, your efforts have been truly remarkable. While we have tackled the many difficult challenges that have come our way, we are now faced with managing the growing financial impact of the current situation on our campus budget.
To that end, earlier today you each should have received a message from Chancellor Blank outlining necessary expense reductions, including employee furloughs that campus is implementing. The news is not unexpected – we have discussed budget challenges in many recent meetings, including listening sessions – but that does not mean it is any less concerning, both professionally and personally. You likely have questions and concerns, particularly about the employee furloughs.
What I ask of all of you at this time is to read the Chancellor’s message carefully and please review the detailed furlough policy and FAQs developed by the campus Office of Human Resources. A significant amount of information is provided on this web site; hopefully, you will be able to find the answers to your questions.
Also, please know that the HR Team within L&S, led by Cheryl Adams Kadera, will be working with each of your units to ensure appropriate implementation of the furlough policy, as well as the other strategies outlined in the Chancellor’s message. We ask for your patience as we manage implementation of these strategies, which is highly complex given the size and diversity of the College’s workforce.
If after reading through the available material you have any questions, please direct them to your supervisor or department HR representative first, and then to L&S HR. You may also direct your questions to UW-Madison’s Office of Human Resources (608-265-2257 or furlough@ohr.wisc.edu), but your questions may be more readily addressed locally.
I know the news shared by the Chancellor today adds to the stress this pandemic has already caused in your professional and personal lives. I sincerely wish we did not need to take these actions at a time when we are all reaching down deep to keep addressing the challenges being thrown our way. Like the Chancellor, I commit to providing you as much information as I can as we continue to navigate through these difficult times.
Thank you for your dedicated service to the College and our students. It is the people – all of you – that make the College of Letters & Science such a truly amazing place.
On, Wisconsin!
Eric M. Wilcots
Interim Dean,
College of Letters & Science
Mary C. Jacoby Professor of Astronomy