Cornell pauses hiring, citing 'financial uncertainty' among higher education
Hoping to get a job at Cornell University? You may have to wait a while.
The Ithaca-based university announced an immediate hiring pause Thursday citing financial uncertainty among 'all of American higher education.'
A new committee reporting to Provost Kavita Bala will evaluate staff positions to determine which are 'mission critical,' while faculty hiring will involve consultation with deans and the provost.
'To ensure that we continue to thrive in an even more complex future, we must commit, across every part of our institution, to a sustainable budget today,' University officials stated Thursday. 'To that end, we are initiating strategic budgetary adjustments that preserve shared governance and accountability among our central administrative units and all colleges, schools, and divisions.'
The University did not immediately reply to a request for further comment on the hiring pause.
All job positions at the university will be reviewed, including currently posted positions, fixed-term employment contract positions and term and temporary appointments.
The position control process positions the university to carefully review its job positions and advance only the essential positions as state and federal education funding is up in the air with Trump Administration plans to dismantle the U.S Department of Education.
Cornell and 11 other universities plan to file a lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health for instituting funding restrictions, which would cost Cornell $80 million.
The university's endowment reached about $10.7 billion in late 2024 according to the Cornell Chronicle.
More than 2,100 teaching faculty join about 12,400 employees on campus each year, meaning the university employs nearly 14,500 people at its Ithaca Campus.
Cornell officials said hiring managers are working with local college and unit human resources representatives so that all decisions will be aligned with the needs of each of the university's colleges.
This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Cornell announces immediate hiring pause, will evaluate staff positions
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
States sue to block the sale of genetic data collected by DNA testing company 23andMe
Dozens of states have filed a joint lawsuit against the bankrupt DNA-testing company 23andMe to block the company's sale of its customers' genetic data without explicit consent. The suit, filed this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, comes months after 23andMe began a court-supervised sale process of its assets. The South San Francisco-based venture was once valued at $6 billion and has collected DNA samples from more than 15 million customers. The company's bankruptcy has raised questions over privacy standards for genetic data, which experts say is uniquely sensitive, immutable and irreplaceable if stolen. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit, arguing that 23andMe customers have an inherent right to their own genetic information. Read more: 'People should be worried': 23andMe bankruptcy could expose customers' genetic data 'This isn't just data — it's your DNA," said Oregon Atty. Gen. Dan Rayfield in a statement. "It's personal, permanent, and deeply private. People did not submit their personal data to 23andMe thinking their genetic blueprint would later be sold off to the highest bidder." 23andMe announced in May that it would be sold to New York-based drug maker Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which had agreed to comply with 23andMe's existing privacy policy. However, a competing offer from nonprofit TTAM Research Institute led the bankruptcy judge to reopen the auction last week. TTAM is run by 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki, who has made several failed attempts to take the company private. In a statement, a 23andMe spokesperson said the lawsuit's claims "are without merit" and that the sale of genetic data does not violate privacy regulations. 'Customers will continue to have the same rights and protections in the hands of the winning bidder," the spokesperson said. Read more: Congressmen sound alarm over data privacy following 23andMe bankruptcy 23andMe customers have the right to delete their genetic information from the company's database at any time, as outlined in the Genetic Information Privacy Act and the California Consumer Privacy Act. During a testimony in Washington earlier this week, 23andMe interim Chief Executive Joseph Selsavage said that 1.9 million customers have requested their data be deleted since the company's bankruptcy filing in March. Sara Geoghegan, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that 23andMe's privacy policy was subject to change and not adequate to protect customers' data. In an interview in March, she stressed the sensitivity of genetic data. 'I would be very concerned if I had given a swab to 23andMe," she said. "There is little we can do to control what happens to it." Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tough Enough for Public Use: Coated Outdoor Furniture Trusted by Schools, Parks, Municipalities & Public Spaces Nationwide
Purpose-built for heavy use and harsh environments, Coated Outdoor Furniture delivers long-lasting performance where it matters most-public spaces deserve furniture that stands the test of time. DALLAS, TX / / June 11, 2025 / Coated Outdoor Furniture, a leading American manufacturer of outdoor furniture, is helping schools, parks, and municipalities create cleaner, safer, and more welcoming environments through durable design and American craftsmanship. With decades of experience building heavy-duty picnic bench tables, park benches, and outdoor waste receptacles, the company has become a go-to solution for high-traffic public spaces. In settings where safety and longevity are essential, cheap furniture just doesn't cut it. That's why Coated Outdoor Furniture focuses on building solutions that hold up under pressure-from the lunchtime crowds of a schoolyard to the constant wear of a city park. Each product, including the brand's widely used playground tables and park benches, are crafted from coated steel engineered to resist rust, chipping, and fading-no matter the weather or frequency of use. "Our clients aren't just buying furniture-they're making an investment in the safety and enjoyment of their community spaces," said Lindsey Albracht, expert Amazon Consultant. "We design every picnic bench table, waste receptacle, and bench with that responsibility in mind." The result is a product line that's not only functional but also maintenance-friendly, reducing labor costs for facility managers over time. Durability aside, thoughtful design also plays a key role. ADA-compliant tables ensure accessibility for all users, while the brand's streamlined outdoor waste receptacles help maintain cleanliness across large campuses, busy parks and gyms. Many businesses partner with Coated Outdoor Furniture for their mix of ruggedness and visual consistency-essential qualities for long-term installations in shared spaces. Whether it's outfitting a local elementary school, expanding a regional trail system, or upgrading a downtown public plaza, Coated Outdoor Furniture offers the reliability decision-makers need. "We've worked with districts and departments across the country who need a partner they can count on," Lindsey added. "From our fabrication process to our customer service, we take that role seriously." About Coated Outdoor Furniture Coated Outdoor Furniture is a manufacturer of American-made coated outdoor furniture, proudly offering commercial & residential picnic tables, benches, and trash receptacles built-to-last. Founded with a mission to eliminate the waste and safety issues tied to cheaply made imports, the brand partners with skilled U.S. craftsmen to create strong, secure, and sustainable furniture solutions for public and private use. Learn more at Dallas, TXsales@ SOURCE: Coated Outdoor Furniture View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Boston Globe
36 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
MassDOT taps Irish firm Applegreen to redevelop 18 highway service plazas
Applegreen would completely replace buildings at nine of the 18 service plazas, and make significant retrofits to the others. In total, Applegreen has pledged to make $750 million in capital improvements over the life of the contract. The company also would share a portion of the revenue it earns at these plazas with the state, totaling at least $28.4 million a year on average over the contract term — or nearly $1 billion that would go to the state over time. MassDOT chief development officer Scott Bosworth told the board members that Applegreen would also improve traffic flow at many of the rest stops. One goal is to reduce conflicts between truckers and car drivers as part of reconfigurations that will add nearly 500 new spaces across the rest areas, a 24 percent increase. Advertisement 'They have demonstrated real-world experience in turning over these facilities, and state-of-the-art revitalization programs,' Bosworth said of Applegreen. 'We feel we've got a strong partner, we're excited about this partnership [and] we're on the cusp of beginning a new day for our service plazas in Massachusetts.' Advertisement The contract, which has a 10-year extension option, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026 for 14 of the 18 service areas: the 11 on the turnpike, plus rest areas in Lexington, Newton, and Plymouth; Applegreen is slated to replace McDonald's as the food concessionaire and Gulf for the fuel. The contract for the other four plazas — currently operated by Waltham-based petroleum supplier Global Partners in Bridgewater, Barnstable, and Beverly — will switch over on June 30, 2027. There isn't much time to make the transition, with leases expiring in six months on most of the plazas. Applegreen was picked in part because of its readiness to get started with the extensive permitting and construction work necessary. Its team includes general contractor Suffolk Construction and designers at Upland Architects. Active in the US since 2014, Applegreen has been expanding in this country lately, fueled in large part by Blackstone after the private equity firm acquired a controlling stake in 2021. Applegreen is wrapping up a 27-area redevelopment in New York; Bosworth said the Applegreen team that's leading the New York project will move over to Massachusetts. An Applegreen spokesperson offered a brief statement when asked about the committee's vote on Wednesday: 'We're proud of our proposal, and hope to have the opportunity to work with the state and MassDOT to improve the travel experiences of drivers across Massachusetts.' MassDOT's procurement process has been shrouded in secrecy until now — a fact that irked Quincy Mayor Tom Koch, a MassDOT board member. 'I'm disappointed I didn't have more information ahead of time,' Koch said. 'This is a big vote. I just think we're just kind of glossing over ... a major vote of this board.' Advertisement Bosworth told Koch that he would have preferred to share more information but was advised by MassDOT legal counsel to limit the public information on the process while the procurement was still ongoing. At Wednesday's meeting, Bosworth disclosed that six companies had made initial bids for the service-plaza contract last fall: Love's Travel Stops, 7-Eleven, Applegreen, Gulf owner RaceTrac, Global, and fuel distributor Energy North. Among other things, MassDOT's original bidding documents called for Applegreen has promised to keep operating bathroom and gas services at the rest areas while they are under construction, Bosworth said, and to not shut down two consecutive plaza buildings along the turnpike at the same time. Susan Snyder, a top lawyer at MassDOT, told the planning committee that the state faces a big financial risk if a new operator isn't chosen soon. Six months, she said, is the minimum amount of time necessary to transition to a new rest stop operator, and MassDOT wouldn't have much leverage if negotiations were needed to extend the leases beyond Jan. 1. 'There's just a ton of work that has to be done,' Bosworth said. 'Having said that, we have selected an operator that has proven they can do it under the gun.' Advertisement Jon Chesto can be reached at
