The University of Maine at Farmington has cut 18 positions from its budget, three of which were layoffs, amounting to $1.65 million.

The other 15 eliminated jobs were vacant, according to a university statement, and no university units or departments were eliminated.

UMF President Kathryn Foster made the announcement last week to the campus, saying the cuts were needed to balance the 2015 budget, according to UMF spokeswoman April Mulherin.

The budget shortfalls are “not one-time or unforeseen events,” according to the statement, but rather result from “intense fiscal pressures on the state legislature and a declining statewide demographic of college students.”

The university system as a whole is facing a $36 million shortfall, and trustees said at the beginning of this school year total enrollment was down 2 percent from last fall.

The three layoffs of existing employees involved a job in admissions, in the library and a retirement in academic affairs, according to Mulherin.

UMF also will cut spending by $1.34 million in operations from its $31 million budget, from services and supplies budgets to postponing capital investments, according to the statement. In all, the cuts amount to 9 percent of UMF’s budget.

“For those people whose positions are eliminated, the University’s human resources department will offer assistance to help them in career transition and job search strategies,” according to the statement. “The University’s employee assistance program can also be utilized.”

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