In an interview with the Cornell Chronicle, Provost Kent Fuchs said that the economic crisis will force Cornell to reduce faculty over the next three years. Some positions that become vacant because of attrition will simply not be filled. "We need to manage the reduction in the number of faculty strategically," Fuchs said, "so that high-priority areas don’t lose critical faculty." Deciding where the reductions should take place will be part of an insititutional planning process that will begin in March.
Staff will also be reduced. On February 27, President David Skorton and Vice President for Human Resources Mary Opperman announced a "retirement incentive" program that will allow senior staff — those over the age of 55 with at least 10 years of service — to take immediate retirement with a lump-sum payment and an enhanced university contribution to their retirement plan account. A phased retirement plan, with reduced work hours, is also being offered.