Due to a lack of finances, it is tremendously unlikely that Pierce College will be able to hire any new faculty members anytime soon.
“We’ve had a steady reduction in funding since 2008,” Tom Rosdahl, Academic Senate president, said during a meeting that took place Monday. “I wouldn’t plan on any faculty hiring.”
Rosdahl acknowledged that the staff planning to retire this year will save the school about $1 million; however, it simply isn’t enough.
“The college has no money and we’re still $4 million short,” Rosdahl said.
The school is not getting enough funding from the government, according to Rosdahl.
“The amount of students that we’re paid to educate has gone down,” he said. “We’ve lost 6,000 students. This is why there’s been a lot of class reductions.”
The monetary issues may demand that the union look into staff salaries.
“It is a very, very bleak situation,” Rosdahl said. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen it.”