OU plans 'hybrid' fall semester, president takes 20% pay cut amid COVID-19

Oakland University leaders will take a salary reduction and plan for a "hybrid approach" to fall classes as the Rochester school makes plans to cope with continued challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak.

"At this point, indications are that COVID-19 will remain a threat into the fall," OU President Ora Pescovitz wrote Friday to the campus community. "As we prepare for the fall semester, we are planning for a hybrid approach that includes both face-to-face and remote instruction.

"As always, the health and safety of our campus remains our highest priority."

Pescovitz's announcement comes the day after Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson and Michigan State University President Samuel Stanley said during a tele-town hall meeting that they were leaning toward online classes in the fall while University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel said he was planning for a "public health-informed fall semester" on campus.

The three presidents also announced various cuts to address blows to their institutions' budgets amid the still-circulating coronavirus.

Pescovitz announced that she would take a 20 percent salary cut, while executives and deans will take cuts that range from 3% to 5%.

She also announced various other cost-saving measures such as a hiring freeze.