Duke takes proactive measures in response to potential federal funding cuts: 'It's very concerning'

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Duke University is taking proactive measures as federal funding cuts loom.

On Wednesday, the university announced a voluntary buyout program that could impact hundreds of employees.

The university has not specifically answered which employees would be eligible for the voluntary buyout program, but said in a statement that department leaders will make that determination. The timeline of when this would happen is also unclear.

The move comes as the university prepares for potential federal funding cuts. It said it's "impossible to address the scope of threats to the university's federal funding without making changes to staffing levels."

"It's very concerning," Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams said. "Duke is our number one employer with over 40,000 employees in the area, and that's Durham ... but Duke has to do what they have to do to ensure they remain sustainable."

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According to Wednesday's statement, some of the ways the university is controlling costs are by freezing hiring, eliminating empty positions, saving on administrative tasks, and halting new spending on construction and renovations.

Duke is one of the top employers in the Triangle and among the largest statewide.

Williams said he's seeing a "ripple effect" of the uncertainty at the federal level in the Triangle.

"We're going to have to be resilient and responsible at the local level," he said.