LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)—Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in response to the national economic downturn, has reduced its administrative staff by 35 positions: 20 full-time and 15 part-time, effective Jan. 30.
Each person will receive a severance package, including placement assistance, according to a Jan. 15 news release from the seminary.
No faculty members were included in the staffing reductions.
The workforce reduction, combined with budget cuts made in December, are designed to close a projected $3.2 shortfall in the seminary's $30 million budget.
Tuition for the 2009-10 academic year will increase by just under 10 percent according to current projections, SBTS President R. Albert Mohler Jr. wrote in a letter emailed to the Louisville, Ky., seminary community. The increase, he said, is akin to the tuition increase for the current academic year.
Work will continue on capital projects that already have been contracted and funded, but no new projects will begin until economic conditions improve, according to the news release.