|
To: Staff and Faculty
May 28, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
In his March 19 letter, President Drake outlined the serious fiscal challenges facing the University of California, including significant potential reductions in state and federal funding. As President Drake and Chancellor Muñoz have emphasized, while we continue advocating for the University’s mission, we must also act responsibly to ensure the long-term sustainability of our operations.
As part of this effort, UC Merced is implementing temporary position control measures to help prioritize mission-critical hiring and workforce decisions. This initiative began in April when the Provost and Vice Chancellors were asked to assess active recruitments and pending personnel requests to identify those most essential to campus priorities.
A Position Control Committee was established to review those requests and provide recommendations to the Chancellor. The committee includes Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Betsy Dumont, Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Kurt Schnier, Assistant Chancellor and Chief of Staff Cori Lucero, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer Fabiola Elizalde, and Vice Provost for Academic Personnel Tom Hansford. Initial staff recruitment decisions were shared with divisions the week of May 5. Some requests were approved to proceed, while others remain on hold or require additional clarification.
Position control will be reassessed every six months to determine whether adjustments or extensions are necessary. Moving forward, it will apply to both staff and academic hiring. For staff, this includes career, contract, and limited appointments, as well as career conversions. For academic hiring, this includes new academic searches as well as search-exempt or waiver-based appointments.
Units seeking to initiate a search or hire must complete a Position Control Form. All requests must be endorsed by the respective Division Head (Vice Chancellor). In Academic Affairs, requests should be routed through the Assistant Provost to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. For staff positions, the division partner will submit the Position Control Form on the division’s behalf once endorsed. All submissions will be reviewed by the Position Control Committee, with final decisions made by the Chancellor. Priority will be given to positions essential to instruction, research, compliance, or those tied to externally funded commitments.
We understand this process impacts many of our personnel actions. While requests, such as stipends, reclassifications, equity adjustments, and retentions, were initially communicated as being within the scope of position control, we are confirming that they are not. HR will begin working through the backlog, and new requests may be submitted as usual. For more information on position control, please visit the Staff Position Control and Academic Position Control websites.
STAR Award submissions that met eligibility criteria have been approved and forwarded to Payroll for processing within the current fiscal year. The STAR program will be suspended for fiscal year 2025–26 to allow time for review and program redesign.
These decisions are not taken lightly. They reflect a shared commitment to managing our resources responsibly while remaining focused on our mission and values. We are grateful for your continued dedication and flexibility as we navigate this period together.
Fabiola Elizalde
Interim Chief Human Resources Officer
Tom Hansford
Vice Provost for Academic Personnel
| 
