President Capilouto Announces Hiring Pause for UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 25, 2020) — With uncertainty still surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto sent a message March 23 apprising the campus community of a pause in hiring employees. The message is below:

Members of the University Community, 

Our core principle since the beginning of this public health crisis is ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of our entire community. 

Beginning immediately, we are pausing hiring throughout the campus. This includes faculty and staff, administrative, full-time, and part-time, as well as STEPS positions. It does not apply to student employment.   Why take this step?

• We must carefully plan during heightened economic uncertainty. A hiring pause provides the time, space, and flexibility to assess work needs now and in the future — placing a premium on the work of our current employees.
• Our focus needs to be on caring for ourselves and the health of our families. It is difficult to onboard new employees while we are working remotely and observing appropriate social distancing protocols under guidance from the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• The closure of courts and other legal institutions limits our capacity to satisfy regulatory requirements for background checks.

  How will we implement?

• UK HealthCare will continue to use existing processes to hire employees. All other areas must apply for an exception to move a position forward.
• UK Human Resources will manage the exception process. Approval for an exception will come from a committee composed of representatives from the offices of the President, Provost, and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration. 
• UK will honor verbal and written offers made, and offers accepted as of March 23, 2020. This applies both to internal and external candidates, as well as to reclassifications that are in process as of Monday, March 23, 2020.
• All other positions (those posted, those engaged in the interviews, etc.) are paused indefinitely.    
• Questions should be directed to Emily Curtsinger in Human Resources Employment at 257-9632. You can also email her at Emily.Curtsinger@uky.edu.

Thank you for your continued commitment, resilience, and collaborative spirit during this challenging time. We will get through this together.

Eli Capilouto

President  

For the most up-to-date information regarding UK's plans and preparedness in addressing challenges surrounding COVID-19, please visit www.uky.edu/coronavirus/.