KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The University of Tennessee Athletic Department on Wednesday introduced a tiered, across-the-board salary reduction plan.
As part of the department’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the revenue shortfall and budgetary impact resulting largely from the COVID-19 pandemic, a salary reduction plan is being implemented for the remainder of the fiscal year. Shared with athletics staff in September, this across-the-board plan, effective Nov. 1, applies tiered reductions to annual compensation as follows:
- The first $50,000 of any employee’s compensation will not be impacted.
- Compensation from $50,000 to $150,000 will be reduced by 5%.
- Compensation exceeding $150,000 will be reduced by 10%.
The salary reduction plan is expected to reduce the athletic department’s payroll by up to $1.6 million over an eight-month period and is one of several elements of the department’s comprehensive strategy — coordinated with university leadership — to responsibly navigate this fiscal year and beyond.
Other mitigation measures include, but are not limited to, a hiring freeze on vacant positions, emergency-only deferred maintenance on facilities, a transition to mobile ticketing, and a focus on regional team travel.
The plan will not affect head football coach Jeremy Pruitt’s salary as he deferred his $400,000 raise until the 2021 fiscal year.
