Hiring freeze for non-essential positions

Dear colleagues,

Over the past few months, we have been modeling a variety of financial impacts that could result from changes at the federal level. Given the uncertain outlook for federal funding and policy, we are now adopting a more careful stance on budgeting and hiring – much as MIT has done in the past in the face of abrupt and unpredictable financial challenges.

Because ongoing changes at the federal level are producing budget reductions and continued uncertainty, we are taking the step of instituting a general hiring freeze on all nonessential positions, effective immediately and until further notice. Faculty positions will not be impacted by this freeze. We ask for your partnership and cooperation in managing and adhering to the following guidelines.

Process guidance

• Effective February 14, 2025, all hiring – including full-time, part-time, and temporary positions – will be suspended until further notice. This includes currently posted roles. Verbal or written offers for open positions already extended will be honored and permitted to move forward.
  • Hiring on grants and contracts that have been awarded will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Positions (including postdoc associates) will be allowed to proceed if, after this review, we are assured that at least one year of salary and benefits will be covered. In addition, postdoc fellow appointments may proceed, to the extent that they come with their own funding; if they require partial support from the DLCI, a request should be submitted to the Provost’s Office for review and approval.
• Exceptions will be granted only for “essential personnel,” as defined below, and must receive prior authorization. Approval exceptions for administrative areas will go to the vice president for human resources (VPHR), while approval exceptions for academic and research areas will go to the assistant provost for administration. Further details on the exception process can be found below.

Definition of essential personnel

Essential personnel, for the purposes of this guidance, are those whose roles are critical to the continued operation, safety, and compliance of the Institute. Positions deemed essential include but are not limited to:

• Roles required to maintain campus safety, health, and security;
• Positions that ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, or contractual obligations;
• Employees required for critical infrastructure, IT security, and system maintenance; and
• Any role that, if left vacant, would significantly disrupt core academic, research, administrative functions, or student services.

Process for exception requests

All units seeking an exception for a position must submit a written request which includes explicit support from the dean (if a school or the college) or from the senior officer (for other academic units or administrative units); title(s) for the position(s) you wish to fill; a brief justification which explains why the need meets the essential criteria listed; an estimated annual cost for salary and EB; and a funding source or statement of need for funding. Please include any additional relevant documentation with your request.

Administrative units email materials to:

Ramona Allen (ramona@mit.edu), VPHR, with a copy to Kelley Connors (kconnors@mit.edu), associate vice president, Human Resources.

Academic and research units email materials to:

Elizabeth Lennox (elennox@mit.edu), assistant provost for administration, with a copy to Dan Delgado (delgado@mit.edu), senior director of human resources and finance.

Each request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine necessity and alignment with Institute priorities. We realize there will be a need to maintain certain positions critical to research and academics and will make every effort to prioritize the review of those requests.

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President Kornbluth and all of us in senior leadership are keenly aware that these are unsettling times for many. The current measure is designed to help steward and safeguard the Institute’s mission in the face of unpredictable change — but we fully recognize that it will pose direct challenges across our community. We will of course continue to monitor the funding environment and will update this guidance as circumstances may require.

We deeply appreciate your support and cooperation as we navigate this period together.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Barnhart
Provost

Glen Shor
Executive Vice President and Treasurer