Emporia State is in the process of notifying certain faculty and staff their times at the university are coming to an end.
ESU has not confirmed the total employee number or the number of personnel cuts after the Kansas Board of Regents approved the university’s Framework for Workforce Management on Wednesday, but the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas says the university listed 745 workers in its most recent survey. Given that number, a seven-percent cut means over 50 employees are affected.
Emporia’s business and economic agencies are determining the possible impact to the local economy while looking at ways to help those impacted. Main Street Director Casey Woods says the tight job market could offer a lot of local job opportunities for those affected, depending on skill sets. He also says Main Street has been focused on bringing people to Emporia to enjoy the good things the area has to offer, and this is now a community conversation on how to support ESU, its students, faculty, staff and programs.
Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeanine McKenna says the Chamber is reaching out to university leadership to alert affected staffers of its willingness to help. It’s also reaching out to KansasWorks and the Kansas Department of Commerce for additional help.
McKenna says Emporia has seen much larger job cuts in the past 15 years — the Tyson downsizing from over a decade ago and the Hostess liquidation from 10 years ago at the top of the list — but this is still a notable move, with an impact at the community and the personal level.
