BY WATCHING ADAMS STAFF – 2/15/16

Last semester, Watching Adams investigated the “freezing” of some positions on the Adams State University (ASU) campus, such as the Technology Librarian. In “A Very Slushy Hiring Freeze,” we identified the “thawing” of positions such as Payroll Manager and the perpetuation of CUPA salary disparities as identified in CUPA Data Reveals Longstanding Pay Inequities at Adams State.

With the recent posting of 12 administrative position openings on the ASU Human Resources website, it is clear that the rumored “hiring freeze” has thawed into a puddle. From academic administration to finance and computing services to counseling services, ASU is hiring in many positions.

However, one employee familiar with the classified hiring system observed that the prospect of actually being hired internally for such a position can be discouraging. This employee stated, “many classified employees have given up on applying for some open positions because some of the time, not always, the department doing the hiring already has a name in mind before the opening is even announced. They work within the rules but just work down the list until the right name comes up.”

Given the decline in student enrollment and the diminished revenue that comes with it (detailed in an upcoming Watching Adams report), it may not be long before this hiring puddle freezes up again.