FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington has announced elimination of 18 positions to save an expected $1.65 million.

Of the 18 positions, 15 are vacant. One position is in admissions, one is in the library and one is Academic Affairs and due to retirement, according to a statement from the university.

This is one of a “number of cost-cutting actions UMF is taking in order to achieve efficiencies that will preserve the quality of its student’s educational experience in a financially responsible and sustainable way while balancing its budget for fiscal year 2015,” UMF President Kathryn A. Foster said in a statement.

The UMF budget is approximately $31 million.

The actions are taken in response to a budget shortfall affecting the University of Maine System.

UMF also intends to lower spending by $1.34 million in operations, the statement said. Those measures include everything from reducing services and supply budgets to postponing capital investments. 

“We are confident that making these reductions, which amount to roughly 9 percent of our operating budget, will strengthen UMF now and into the future,” she said.

The university’s Human Resource department will work with the people affected by offering assistance in career transition and job search.

The systemwide budget shortfalls are not from a one-time or unforeseen event. They result from a variety of factors, including intense fiscal pressures on the state Legislature and a declining statewide demographic of college students, according to the statement.

abryant@sunjournal.com