2025 Hiring Pause

Together with all of American higher education, Cornell is entering a time of significant financial uncertainty. The potential for deep cuts in federal research funding, as well as tax legislation affecting our endowment income, has now been added to existing concerns related to rapid growth and cost escalations. It is imperative that we navigate this challenging financial landscape with a shared understanding and common purpose, to continue to advance our mission, strengthen our academic community, and deepen our impact.

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. 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.

Overview 

Effective immediately, the university is implementing a position control process for all hiring. The pause best positions us, due to the increased level of review, to carefully and with due restraint, advance only those positions that are determined to be essential at this time. 

Hiring managers must work with their local college and unit HR representative to discuss all hiring so that decisions can be made in alignment with college or unit needs and budget constraints. 

Positions determined by deans, vice provosts, and vice presidents to be mission-critical to their unit will be advanced for further review. Staff positions will be submitted to, and evaluated by, a new central position control committee reporting to the provost. For faculty hiring, colleges will work with their deans to consult with the provost.

Details

Mission critical positions

Determining mission critical positions within a college or unit requires a thoughtful evaluation of roles and responsibilities, aligned with the college, unit and institution's goals and objectives. 

Here are some suggestions to guide this process:

1. Identify Core Functions: Determine the essential functions that ensure the university's primary missions of education, research, and service. These might include teaching, research, student services, administrative support, and facility management.
2. Assess Impact: Evaluate the impact of each position on the college or unit core functions. Consider the following:
   • Direct Impact: Does the position directly contribute to the delivery of core services (e.g., teaching, research)?
   • Indirect Impact: Does the position support critical operations that enable core services (e.g., IT support, maintenance)?
3. Alternative Solutions: can someone else do the work, can technology be used to create efficiency, etc.?

Positions that are posted or awaiting position review and approval

Local college and unit human resources teams will be reviewing staff positions that are currently posted or in the position classification process to confirm they are mission critical.

Submitting an exception to the hiring pause

Hiring managers must work with their local HR team. All staff hiring exceptions will be submitted by HR through the position control committee. For faculty hiring, colleges will work with their deans to consult with the provost.

Term appointments

Term appointments should be carefully reviewed to determine whether the needs have changed and if the work is critical to continue. No extensions of term appointments may be made without discussing with your college or unit human resources representatives. 

Temporary appointments, including agency and university appointments

Temporary appointments should be carefully reviewed to determine if the temporary need is critical to continue. If it is, first consider reassigning the work to ongoing staff whose workload may be temporarily reduced. When this is not possible and the essential work remains, the college/unit may determine that continuation of existing temporary assignments is necessary. No new temporary hires may be made, or temporary terms extended without discussing with college or unit human resources representatives. 

Domestic Contractors, Independent Contractors and other contingent labor

As with all labor needs, it is necessary to carefully review the work being performed by the contingent labor force. Based upon the outcome of that review, it may be necessary to reopen contracts and/or agreements in light of the changing work expectations, timelines and deliverables. If, after these considerations, there continues to be a need to engage a contractor or contingent labor, you will need to consult with your Dean or VP first to discuss it as mission critical to elevate through the central review process.

International independent contractors

We ask that you consider all of your staff availability before deciding to engage an independent contractor. If you have employees in your organization who have available time, you should consider asking them to take on this work if possible. If, after these considerations, there continues to be a need to engage a contractor, you will need to consult with your Dean or VP first to discuss it as mission critical to elevate through the central review process.

Fixed-term employment contract through a professional employment organization (PEO)

Fixed-term employment contracts through a PEO must be submitted through the hiring pause review process and approved as mission critical. You should first determine whether needs have changed given the current situation. You may want to look first at asking other staff to take on the work if their workload permits before deciding to request an exception to the hiring pause.

Rescinding offers

Each offer situation should be carefully evaluated on a case by case basis. Hiring managers should work closely with their local human resource representative to evaluate each situation, review the offer letter and consider factors that may negatively impact the individual including, but not limited to, 

• Have they notified their current employer?
• Have they resigned their current position?
• What is the impact on Cornell critical work if start date is delayed?