A plan created by administrators last fall to help adjust the university budget has come together as 27 faculty and staff members have indicated interest in the Voluntary Separation Program. The program gives faculty and staff members the opportunity to voluntarily resign.

Fourteen staff members, including Barbara Merkle, admissions director, and Dianne Weakley, director of human resources, have indicated they would like to pursue the program.

Ron Fischli, dean of College of Fain Fine Arts, and Social Work Chair Carol Bisbee, along with 13 other faculty members, have also showed interested in the program.

The 27 faculty and staff members met the March 1 deadline, indicating interest in the program. April 1 is the cutoff date to return the formal signed agreement, then faculty members will have a seven-day irrevocable time period just in case they change their minds.

Perkins-Protho Distinguished Professor of English James Hoggard met the March 1 deadline for the program and said it was about time for him to retire.

“The main benefit of the program is to make the idea of retirement financially sensible,” Hoggard, who has worked at MSU since September 1966, said. “It does not make sense to do this for a young professor. Professors who have been on this campus for close to half a century benefit from signing up for the program.”

According to Hoggard, the university is saving money because those who have been employed for a long time period are more likely to draw higher salaries.

“The university will be able in some cases to hire two younger professors than an older professors,” Hoggard said. “The university is gaining a level of flexibility here.”

Even though he is not sure how his departure will affect the English department, Hoggard said he would keep teaching periodically.

“In the fall I will teach the graduate seminar and a creative writing class,” Hoggard said.

Ron Fischli, dean of the Lamar D. Fain College of Fine Arts, announced Tuesday he plans to retire in August.

“I’ve been realizing for three or four years that I need to think about retirement because there comes a time in your life when you admit that you are mortal,” Fischli said.

Fischli, who has worked at Midwestern since 1990, said even though the Voluntary Separation Program had something to do with his decision, it was not the sole reason behind his choice.

“I have mixed feeling about retiring, but I knew I was close to the time, when it was a good thing to do – a right thing to do, you kind of sense when it’s time so maybe it was the little nudge that I needed,” he said.

Fischli is one of seven faculty members from the Fain College of Fine Arts who volunteered from the program. Theater professors Elizabeth Lewandowski, who also heads the costume design for theater productions, and Don Henschel, who operates stage design for productions, have also entered their names to be considered for the program.

If Lewandowski and Henschel are both accepted into the program and accept the office, that would leave only two theater faculty members.

Students in the theater department have voiced their opinions regarding the possible retirement of two key professors.

“I don’t want them to go,” said Carolyn Lacy, a senior in theater. “The whole program will change without them because the program is what the students and teachers make it. It’s going to be a totally different program that I’m graduating from than the one I came in to.”

Lacy said she has bonded with Lewandowski, who she calls Lulu, and refers to her as her mentor.

“I just don’t want to see her go even though I know they’re all tired,” Lacy said. “I don’t want to see Fischli go because he helped me discover who I was as a person, not just in the classroom, but who I am and what I believe. Capt. [Henschel] is just awesome. I don’t want to see him go, but I know he deserves a retirement because he’s designed over 180 shows.”

Timothy Green, a junior in theater, said the department would feel a loss if they both accept the offer.

“Who’s going to teach our tech classes,” Green asked. “We’re just going to lose everything. If Lulu retires, then I can’t take my costume construction course. One person leaving is different than three people leaving.”

Devon Farnsworth, a senior in theater, admitted worry about the future of the theater department.

“As far as buying out departments, I don’t think that’s fair,” Farnsworth said. “It seems like they’re saying other programs are more important than these programs.”

Farnsworth said theater students enjoy learning under Fischli, who also teaches a directing course.

“When I was in class today and I first heard about it, a lot of my classmates were sad because they love Dr. Fischli,” he said.

The music department is losing three professors who have been employed at Midwestern for more than 25 years. Professors Larry Archambo, Norval Crews and Gary Lewis have all indicated they are interested in the program.

“Most of those people were like me, perceiving that they were about right there [towards retirement] so I think it wasn’t as if they suddenly decided to go,” Fischli said. “You wish situations were more robust in terms of replacing those people. In most of those cases, it was a natural progression for people to retire.”

Fischli said the college is allowed to some existent to replace those faculty members.

“We are seeing what we can do and we’ve been authorized to try [to find replacements], Fischli said. “A job ad has been placed for some time for Archambo’s position and actually we have a good number of applications for that job.”

Sandra Grant, instructor in mass communication, has been teaching at Midwestern since 1993. According to Grant, a lot of people in the college have been teaching for a long time, so most are eligible for the program.

“You don’t just lecture and go home in the Fain Fine Arts,” Grant said. “There is so much other outside coursework. These people have been here a long time and have done a great service to Midwestern.”

Even though retirees can still change their mind, Grant said it is going to be difficult to fill these positions with qualified people.

“Whoever we bring in, I am sure we will work to make sure we maintain the high standards of the college,” Grant said.

Senior administrators introduced the program last October, allowing faculty members who have 10 consecutive years serving at Midwestern and whose age plus years of service equals to or exceeds 80, to receive a payout of 50 percent of their budgeted salary to be paid by the following September after they go on temporary leave.

There is more than $4 million in salary to faculty that are eligible for this program.

Back in October, Marilyn Fowle, vice president of business and finance, said if half of those professors take it, then the university probably could save $500,000, the amount needed to do the proposed faculty salary enhancement plan.