Officials will restore matching retirement contributions and merit salary increases for faculty and staff this July, according to an email sent to University employees Tuesday.

University President Thomas LeBlanc, Provost Brian Blake and Chief Financial Officer Mark Diaz said in the email that officials are also “actively preparing” for a round of faculty hires “late this spring.” The move would reverse several measures officials implemented to mitigate the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Administrators already reinstated base retirement contributions and promotion-related salary increases in January.

The email states officials are continuing to discuss fiscal year 2022 budgets, which would cover costs on travel and events and weigh the University’s “progress toward a post-pandemic world.”

“With these latest steps and our planning for the fall, we are making very encouraging progress,” the email states. “We are further along the road to recovery, and we are able to see more heartening developments on the horizon. As always, this journey and our decisions will be driven by our commitments to safety, care and fulfilling the academic mission.”

The email states officials have been “continually” hiring faculty and staff since last May through the Resource Allocation Committee process. Officials have approved more than 100 hires since then, the email states.

The Faculty Senate passed a resolution last September calling on officials to maintain salary increases for promoted faculty members. Experts have said that denying faculty salary increases could “severely” impact employees’ careers in the long run.

“Still, it is important that our budget planning this year also acknowledges the differences in our current environment compared to years past, particularly with respect to revenue projections, the needs of the institution we are today and the uncertainty of the future,” the email states.