CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) -- Southeast Missouri State University will cut 35-40 jobs over the next five months, a move that the school's president says is necessary to balance the budget.
The cuts announced Tuesday will include 20-25 existing, non-faculty jobs. The university also will eliminate 15-20 vacant staff positions. No faculty members will lose their job.
President Carlos Vargas-Aburto says the reductions amount to about 4 percent of all full-time employees.
Vargas says the cuts are necessary due to a $6.6 million budget shortfall, due in part to reductions in aid from the state and increased costs related to retirement contributions and health insurance costs.