Many Layoffs Are Coming to Southern U., Under Reorganization Plan

Nearly 90 faculty and staff members could be laid off at Southern University at Baton Rouge if the Louisiana institution’s Board of Supervisors approves a reorganization plan on Friday, reports The Advocate, a local newspaper. The plan, part of an effort to save $8-million, calls for a reduction in the number of deans, to 5 from 14; 35 faculty layoffs; and the consolidation but not elimination of various academic programs. According to the newspaper, the university’s chancellor, James L. Llorens, said no specific cuts would be proposed before February and those laid off won’t lose their jobs until May or June. In October the university declared financial exigency, an emergency move that will allow it to carry out the reorganization plan more easily.