The Division of Operations faces employee cuts as part of Loftin’s plan to restructure campus infrastructures.

Texas A&M U. laid off 66 employees Tuesday morning to realign the Division of Operations and to enhance University President R. Bowen Loftin’s goal to restructure campus facilities and physical plant operations announced in February.

“Addressing the condition of existing buildings and infrastructure have been ongoing since I returned to Texas A&M as an administrator in 2005, and these areas were the focus of a recent audit conducted by the Texas A&M University System,” Loftin said in a university wide e-mail.

The 66 people that were let go Tuesday is another step in the process of Loftin’s plan. The Division of Operations is primarily made up of two groups: the repairs and maintenance group and the construction group. Through the realignment, focus is being shifted to the repair and maintenance group. The majority of the cuts were from the construction crew.

“The construction services can be handled as efficiently and effectively outside the community, and focusing on the repairs and maintenance is at the core of our business,” said Lallah M. Howard, executive associate vice president in the Division of Operations.

The savings from the layoffs will be reinvested into the facilities on campus. It will give more opportunities to do more repairs and maintenance of the buildings that already exist, Howard said.

“Changing the buildings on campus takes a different level of expertise, and we are focusing on maintaining the buildings that we have to be better stewards of the assets of the state,” Howard said. “We are focusing on the core mission of repairs and maintenance and keeping the buildings in good shape.”

Howard said the realigned organization that will be created in the Division of Operations will be a flatter organization structure, which will enhance communication and help with customer service. The funds will be used to hire new positions and additional IT  web enabled systems.

Working toward Loftin’s goal of streamlining the Division’s functions by increasing effectiveness as well as financial and operational efficiencies will be an ongoing dialogue, said Jason Cook, vice president for marketing and communications.