30 department positions eliminated; salary reductions or furloughs for remaining staff
TAMPA, OCT. 1, 2020 – After a thorough evaluation of the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, USF Athletics announced Thursday a series of department-wide budget reduction measures that include the elimination of 30 positions and salary reductions or furloughs of varying levels for all salaried athletic department staff members for the remainder of the fiscal year.
“Today is a day I hoped would never come, but the budget realities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic have caused us to reach this point,” Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly said. “We have tremendously talented and hard-working people and they are a treasured resource, but we simply are not able to align our budget with current revenue projections without making extremely difficult and painful decisions that unfortunately negatively impact our staff and their families. While our sacrifice is shared, my heart breaks, especially for those colleagues whose jobs have been eliminated.”
Other actions taken for the rest of the fiscal year include: Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly, Head Football Coach Jeff Scott and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Brian Gregory are each taking a 15 percent pay reduction; suspension of all staff performance bonuses; suspension of all automobile stipends; and all USF Athletics salaried personnel subject to salary reductions or furloughs the equivalent of 2-12.5 percent of their salary depending on their compensation level, with higher earners taking the largest reductions. The personnel-related actions will save the department approximately $2.5 million.
USF Athletics previously took a proactive approach in developing the fiscal year 2021 budget in the spring by enacting a 12 percent reduction in each operational unit, which did not include any salary reductions, furloughs or layoffs.
“Despite these significant steps, these actions alone will not fully solve our budget challenges. We must continue to be highly mindful of our operational spending and be excellent stewards of the dollars we receive. Now, more than ever, we will all work hand-in-hand with our Bulls Club staff to increase our fundraising efforts and we appreciate the many fans who donated to the Uplift the Bulls campaign as we continue to manage through these unprecedented times,” Kelly said. “We were fully aware it was going to be a challenging road, as it has been, and will continue to be for many in our community. However, I am confident that we are taking the necessary steps to support our student-athletes and our mission to achieve excellence in the classroom, community and in competition.”
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 55th season in 2020-21. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 19 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 120 conference titles overall. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fifth straight year in 2019-20 and have posted a program record 11 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had nearly 350 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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