TO: Sonoma State Employees
FR: Chandra Holte, Interim Senior Director for Human Resources
As our campus continues to face reduced funding due to the impacts of declining enrollment, the need to explore creative solutions in order to reduce our base budget has become paramount.
In an effort to address the structural budget deficit, Sonoma State has agreed to offer a one-time Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP). The VSIP will provide a six-month severance package (with maximum payout of $60,000 and prorated for employees working less than full-time) to employees who voluntarily elect to participate. In order to qualify, participants must be a current Sonoma State University state-side employee in a permanent position or full-time faculty member with a three (3) year contract; and have at least five (5) years of service at Sonoma State. Employees in the Management Personnel Plan (M80) and temporary employees are not eligible to participate in the VSIP. Similarly faculty who are currently on FERP and Rehired Annuitants are also not eligible for the VSIP.
We encourage all employees interested in this program to thoroughly review all eligibility criteria in the Terms and Conditions and FAQ’s prior to applying for the VSIP. Please direct faculty questions to Simone Aloisio at facultyaffairs@sonoma.edu and staff questions to Chandra Holte at hr@sonoma.edu.
The application period is December 1, 2022 through December 21, 2022. Please note that we are unable to accommodate any applications received after December 21, 2022. Once an application is approved and the Agreement and Release form(s) are executed, the employee must separate from the university by May 31, 2023. Please note the university has identified a limited amount of one time funds to support payouts as part of the VSIP. If participation during the application period exceeds available budget capacity, campus leadership may make the decision to end the program early.
For those considering retirement (although not required to participate in the program), Trisha Ramos, Managing Director of Payroll, Benefits and Workers’ Compensation will be offering Understanding Your CalPERS Retirement Workshop on the following dates:
- Wednesday, November 9, 2022: 9-10:30am
- Monday, November 14, 2022 9-10:30am
Please email trisha.ramos@sonoma.edu to register. If you are unable to attend one of the SSU retirement workshops, please take advantage of CalPERS member education resources. Note, retirement planning workshops are open to all employees, regardless of participation or eligibility for the VSIP.