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The University of Arizona, one of Southern Arizona's two largest employers and responsible for more than $4 billion in economic impact, is implementing furloughs and pay cuts for nearly all of its employees that are set to last through June 2021.

The unprecedented steps, made as the UA braces for "extreme" economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, go into effect on May 11 and require employees making $150,001 or more to take at least a 17% pay cut, while those making less to take unpaid work days resulting in at least a 5% salary reduction.

Those cost-saving efforts come as the UA has already seen $66 million in losses — and is projected to lose as much as $250 million — as a result of the coronavirus, according to UA president Robert C. Robbins, who told the Arizona Daily Star on Friday that the furloughs will be reviewed each month to ensure they're hitting their savings goals.

“This is incredibly, incredibly difficult and painful to do. I have great empathy for everyone. At the same time, we’re not firing anybody. We’re just asking people to take reduction in time at work," Robbins said. "My hope is it doesn’t last the year. We’re fully expecting our students to come back on campus. If we have to go to all digital, remote learning like we are now, the number will be dramatically higher because the tuition that we would offer would probably reduced."