57 Western Kentucky University employees to take part in early retirement program
Nearly five dozen Western Kentucky University employees have taken voluntary retirement from the university, ending their employment at the end of this year.
In total, 57 employees were approved for the voluntary separation program. Faculty will end their employment on Dec. 31 and staff will end their employment on Nov. 30, with the university paying their salary from a full academic year as a lump sum in January.
“The program is designed to recognize the contributions of long-standing employees and offer opportunities for those considering a career change,” spokesperson Jace Lux said. “It also allows the university to invest existing resources into new initiatives and provides a measure of institutional financial flexibility.”
The College Heights Herald, the student newspaper at WKU, reported the university spent $3.9 million more than it generated in fiscal year 2024. Three departments overspent their budgets, the Herald reported: Athletics by $2.7 million, the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences by $534,000 and Enrollment and Student Experience by $847,000.
The voluntary separation program was announced in September, giving employees until mid-October to apply if they met the requirements. Eligible faculty members must have had 15 years of full-time employment at WKU, and eligible staff must have had 20 years of full-time employment, according to the university website.
Contract faculty members, employees who had already submitted a resignation or retirement notice and athletic coaches were not eligible for the program.
The university is still determining how much money the voluntary separation program will save, Lux said, but a previous voluntary retirement program offered in 2021 had 125 participants and resulted in budget savings of approximately $6.2 million.
All 57 employees who applied for this round of the voluntary retirement program were approved for early retirement, Lux said.
“Most positions will not be rehired. In rare circumstances, an area supervisor may request to fill a vacancy if it is determined that a critical need exists,” Lux said.
WKU has approximately 2,600 employees, according to the university website.
Molly Kerby, assistant provost for institutional effectiveness and engagement, was among employees who took the buyout. Also included is Ken Payne, the public relations program coordinator, which leaves one associate professor and two instructors in the program.