OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Creighton University has furloughed 190 employees and made several other spending cuts because of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Creighton officials said Wednesday they expect to have to cut at least $35 million from the university's budget to offset declining revenue from tuition and fees.
The private university in Omaha said most of the jobs that were eliminated were ones that couldn't be performed remotely.
Creighton will pay both its regular contribution and the furloughed employees' portion of medical insurance premiums, and the university said the affected employees will retain their seniority with Creighton.
The university said it will suspend its contributions to all employee retirement plans on July 1, and top executives will take a pay cut. Creighton said it also won't pay merit raises this year and will cut discretionary spending. Officials said additional cuts could be needed depending on enrollment levels.
The university also created a relief fund to help workers who have lost their jobs.