McRaven rearranges deck chairs on the Titanic....

"For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"
2 Timothy 3:2

OHMYGOSHisitamiracle?!?

As part of what Chancellor Bill McRaven is calling an "organizational assessment," the University of Texas System has implemented a "soft" hiring freeze and is considering layoffs., according to a memo obtained by The Texas Tribune.

About 50 jobs that are currently vacant will be eliminated, McRaven wrote, and the system is developing a voluntary buyout program for employees who are eligible for retirement. In addition, some employees could lose their jobs, the memo indicated.

"I want to be very candid with all of you," McRaven wrote in the memo to staff. "We are also looking at a Reduction in Force [RIF] that may occur after we determine the extent of the voluntary separation. If it is determined in September that RIFs are necessary, we will work extremely hard to ensure those being considered are notified as soon as possible and treated with the dignity and respect that is the hallmark of the system."

The cuts would apply specifically to the system offices, not UT-Austin or any of the other member universities.

Oh, wait:

A portion of the money saved will go toward a list of major projects that McRaven has proposed, which he calls "quantum leaps." Those projects include efforts to improve literacy among school-aged Texas children, build a leadership program available to all UT System students, open a new system campus in Houston and create research networks devoted to national security and brain health.

The Houston project in particular has generated some controversy. Leaders of a task force designed to come up with a plan for the site are expected to update the public on their work next week.

[Author's Note: Emphasis added.]

In other words, they're taking money out of one pocket to put in another and trying to pass it off as some sort of  "cost savings."

Also, the Trib article contains this gem:

At the same time, the system plans to start implementing a 2 percent merit salary increase program that will be available to top employees within the 600-person system offices.

Soo:

• This is actually window dressing to grease the skids for a pay increase "to TOP employees" (ie. senior management).

• 600 employees in the system office alone; let that one sink in.

Bottom Line: No matter how hard Chancellor McRaven urinates on our leg, it is not raining.