On Monday afternoon, University leaders announced a full faculty and staff hiring freeze through the rest of the 2025 fiscal year, with a possible extension into the 2026 fiscal year.
The freeze is meant to help the university “deliver” on its mission and continue progressing towards the 2028 Plan for Pitt, an initiative to improve Pitt’s campus and environment, and its established pillars, according to an email sent to faculty and staff. The email cites this decision as a result of “a lot of unknowns” that have recently occurred in the Pitt community.
Pitt is not the only university in the U.S. to impose hiring freezes as of Monday. The school was accompanied by Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, among others across the nation. Other universities cited the Trump administration and concerns over potential cuts in federal funding, though Pitt’s faculty email did not mention the president.
Last month, Pitt temporarily froze doctoral admissions on Friday, Feb. 21. The pause came as a result of unclear federal funding for research grants and NIH funding cuts. The university resumed Ph.D. admissions on Feb. 26.
According to a University Times article, Pitt’s hiring freeze is the result of uncertainty surrounding federal funding for research under the Trump administration. The article notes that “the University said exceptions may be considered for critical roles that directly support the University’s mission, strategic priorities and essential operations.” The last time the university implemented a hiring freeze was in April 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantines.
On Friday, March 7, the Trump administration pulled $400 million worth of federal funding from Columbia University because of what it called “the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” This comes in the wake of multiple pro-Palestinian encampments over the previous school year, including two in the previous week.
The fiscal freeze is part of a current larger initiative to reduce University expenses. The Executive Budget Committee plans to review overall spending patterns, while Purchasing Services will continue to review purchases over $25,000.
The email also called on University Responsibility Centers, which include colleges, offices, athletics and more, to reduce their spending in non-compensation expenses, such as nonessential travel and discretionary supplies.
The Pitt freeze will depend on a later evaluation of the university’s financial performance, according to the email sent to faculty and staff. The email was signed by Joseph McCarthy, provost and senior vice chancellor; Dwayne Pinkney, executive senior vice chancellor for administration and finance chief financial officer, and Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences.
Leaders noted that more detailed information on the staffing freeze will be released in the near future from the University planning and implementation team.