18 faculty, staff, admin dismissed this semester
Maria Crummett, associate vice president for global affairs, was hand-delivered a letter of nonreappointment last week.
The letter also indicated Crummett — who has worked at USF since 1996, was named International Person of the Year by the Tampa Bay Organization of Women in International Trade earlier this month, traveled with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn on a development trip to Brazil last month and served as a Fulbright Ambassador last year — would be dismissed from her position as an administrator in the College of Business and Administration not for disciplinary reasons, but “rather the exercise of the university’s prerogative to discontinue (her) appointment … as part of USF World’s budget reduction and reallocation.”
Crummett was one of 18 USF faculty, staff and administrators who received notices of nonreappointment or layoff this semester due to nondisciplinary actions or “dismissal for causes.”
The letter granted Crummett 90 days of paid leave and instructed her that it “will not be necessary for (her) to return to your office.”
“We will, of course, make arrangements with you at a mutually agreeable time to collect your personal belongings from your current office,” the letter, signed by Vice Provost Dwayne Smith for Provost Ralph Wilcox, stated.
The university has been undergoing budget reductions since August when USF President Judy Genshaft emailed faculty and staff saying a “new normal” would be coming to USF.
— Staff report
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