Campus officials said June 8 they are offering severance pay to eligible employees who elect to leave their jobs. The Voluntary Separation Program is open to nonrepresented employees, with exceptions that include senior managers and academic titles; and to represented employees, subject to union agreement.

“The overarching goal is to give campus leadership another tool to help us manage the budget challenges we are facing,” said Karen Hull, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources.

The application period will be from July 6 to Aug. 7. All separations are subject to management approval, and they would take effect from Sept. 22 to Nov. 15.

Professional and Support Staff would receive one week’s pay for each full year of UC service, up to 16 weeks’ maximum; and Management and Senior Professionals (only grades I-VII are eligible) would receive one month’s pay for each full year of service, up six months’ maximum.

Severance for represented staff would be according to the terms of union agreements. They are available online.

As of today (June 12), there was still no word from the UC Office of the President or campus officials on furloughs and pay cuts. (See separate story.)

UC Davis Vice Chancellor Stan Nosek, who heads the Office of Administration, said a possible furlough-salary reduction program will be presented to the Board of Regents at the board’s July 14-16 meeting.

In other budget news, a joint legislative committee on June 5 rejected Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposal to eliminate $226 million in Cal Grant funding. The vote was 6-4: six Democrats opposing the cut, four Republicans supporting it.

But, as the governor and Legislature wrestle with a $24 billion-plus deficit, there is always the possibility that the Cal Grant cut could resurface.

Richard Blum, outgoing chair of the Board of Regents, commenting on Cal Grants in the June 9 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, urged the citizenry to keep up the pressure on the Capitol to kill what he described as “an outrageous, unconscionable proposal.”

“It’s not a lot of money — the program tops out at less than $10,000 a year for each student — but enough to make a difference, especially in this down economy,” Blum wrote.

He said the half-century-old Cal Grant program had opened the doors of higher education for hundreds of thousands of young Californians who could not otherwise afford to attend college.

“And how do these students pay back California? By enriching the state’s economic and cultural life after graduation. By feeding the insatiable hunger of a prosperous society for smart workers and solid citizens, for inventors and poets and farmers and teachers.”

In addition to Blum’s opinion piece, the Office of the President launched a “Stand With UC” e-advocacy campaign, asking UC allies to make their voices heard in support of Cal Grants and other UC programs. As of midday June 8, the campaign had generated some 4,000 e-mails to legislators. For more information on Cal’s advocacy program, or to join in: ucforcalifornia.org/uc4ca.

Voluntary separations

Hull said employees, by taking voluntary separations, can help alleviate the need to lay people off involuntarily — therefore aiding their colleagues who may not have the flexibility to leave their jobs.

So far this year, from July 1 to May 31, the campus has issued 131 layoff notices, of which 103 resulted in layoffs — about double the number that the campus would see in an average year.

Hull said complete program information and the application form for the Voluntary Separation Program will be available on the Human Resources Web site starting today (June 12); completed forms must be submitted to direct supervisors. Management decisions will be made by Sept. 4.

Voluntary separations are available to nonprobationary, career employees with appointments of 50 percent or more. Rehired retirees are not eligible, nor is anyone who, prior to July 31, is entitled to separation or severance pay under another arrangement, agreement or settlement with the university.

No severance package can exceed $75,000, and any package of $50,000 or more must be approved by the Office of the President.

An employee who takes a voluntary separation may not return to UC employment — in any appointment type, at any percentage of time, in any classification, anywhere in the UC system — for three years from the date of separation, unless the employee returns their severance pay (under a prorated formula).

In approving a voluntary separation, the department agrees that it will not refill the position for 18 months — in order to generate the funds needed for the severance package and to generate savings toward budget reductions.

If a department seeks to refill a position in less than 18 months, the department must demonstrate that refilling the position is part of a restructuring plan that produces permanent salary savings and generates the funds needed for the severance package.

The UC Davis Health System (including the School of Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing) already launched a similar program. The application period closed June 5; officials reported that 131 people expressed interest and 109 people submitted applications. Decisions are expected the week of June 15-19.

On the Net

More UC Davis budget news