HAMDEN — As the coronavirus pandemic hits hard everywhere, Quinnipiac University has cut back employee salaries to help the institution weather the hard times.

The university temporarily reduced all employee salaries, eliminated merit increases for the next academic year, trimmed department budgets and is slowing upcoming capital investments.

“The far-reaching disruptions caused by COVID-19 have resulted in significant additional expenses for our university and lost revenues from programs and events that were canceled,” President Judy Olian wrote in an email to staff this week. “In addition, the pandemic creates uncertainty in our future enrollment projections.”

Olian said the university decided on this course after “extensive deliberations of the Management Committee, exploration of alternatives, and consultation with experts, Trustees, Faculty Senate leadership and members of our community.”

Quinnipiac already had closed all university housing, prepared a move to online instruction, canceled all university events including athletics and had as many employees as possible work remotely.

“Over the last several weeks with every difficult decision we have had to make, we have given greatest weight to the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff,” Olian said.

All university employees earning less than $50,000 a year will experience a temporary 3 percent pay reduction while all other employees will see a temporary 5 percent reduction.

Olian said she and other members of the Management Committee opted to take larger salary reductions. Associate Vice President for Public Relations John Morgan said the university isn’t disclosing the amounts.

“Insofar as possible, our intent is to minimize the financial impact of the crisis on the faculty and staff of Quinnipiac, and especially on those who earn the least,” Olian said.

Scott McLean, a professor of political science and chairman of the of Philosophy and Political Science Department, said the university is having to make terrible decisions in an impossible situation. But through it, the administration is doing the best it can to preserve Quinnipiac and the community.

Nevertheless, professors are being challenged to do more for less.

“One of the hard realities is that I’m fortunate I have a job and have income coming to my family by doing things online and teaching remotely, but the reality of that is my workload has increased to almost double, and yet I’m getting a pay cut,” McLean said.

He said he accepts it because it’s the reality of the situation.

His concern is the additional decision to cut the travel support budgets for conferences where professors present their research that they’re required to do. Financial support for research also has been reduced, he said.

“In an effort to cut back these resources, they have to remember that faculty are contractually obligated to conduct research,” he said. “We’re hired and promoted based on more than teaching. So now they (professors) are expected to do these things whether the university is paying for it or not.”

McLean said there’s uncertainty because the university has needed to act quickly before working out the details, but he’s confident these things will be communicated to employees.

“I’m just rolling with the punches,” said Rich Hanley, a professor of journalism. “I understand why these measures needed to be taken and I think many do.”

Hanley said he anticipated the university having to compensate for lost revenues given that dining halls closed and students were sent home.

“You can’t plan for this or have a COVID-19 fund to draw from,” Hanley said, and with other major institutions including Harvard University cutting spending because of the coronavirus pandemic, Quinnipiac naturally would need to make adjustments.

“(Olian) and top administrators clearly did not want to take severe measures, but wanted to share the sacrifice along everybody so that the impact would be minimal as possible,” Hanley said. “Avoiding the human cost of cutbacks is meaningful to me from what I’ve seen in my corporate career and the human element seemed to be paramount in the decision.”

“Quinnipiac can weather this crisis not just because of the collective power of our community, but also because of the long-term strength of our finances,” Olian said. “However, because of the unprecedented magnitude of the impact, we will need to make budget cutbacks, and even sacrifices.”

She said Quinnipiac still will need to consider additional measures as the school absorbs the ongoing impact the pandemic is having on the university. But she said generating enrollment in summer sessions and a new class entering in the fall will be an opportunity to mitigate the impact.

“That we are working remotely without the human touch of colleagues makes this very challenging period that much harder,” Olian said in her email. “However, I hope that continued decision-making transparency and my promise to communicate with you regularly will help clarify the rationale for our decisions and will reduce some of the anxiety associated with the current uncertainty.”

mdignan@hearstmediact.com