Staff, faculty layoffs at NHTI stir debate

The news that NHTI will eliminate 10 positions, including four full-time professors, in the face of a continuing decline in enrollment has generated dismay at Concord’s community college.

“A lot of students were concerned, a lot of students were upset, a lot of students have talked to me, asked me, ‘Can you do something about it?’” said Eynas Jarrar of Bow, the student body president. “There were even some who were thinking about not coming back next semester until they know what will happen.”

Layoffs, which take effect Dec. 27, include the least senior professor in the departments of English, education, accounting and social science. Under the collective bargaining agreement for full-time faculty in the community college system, layoffs are applied by seniority in any department.

Also affected are staff in the library, technology and health services and the English Speakers of Other Languages program, which will lose its full-time director, Dawn Higgins.

Read more: https://www.concordmonitor.com/NHTI-layoffs-30570060