Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Outside Michael Dunn's office, Radford sophomore Mandy Greenwood shows junior Kaitlyn Baker a T-shirt that reads "You just can't get rid of a bad Penny," a slap at university President Penelope Kyle.

Peggy Dunn (right) hugs a friend after her husband, Michael Dunn, Radford University's director of new student programs and services, was let go by the university on Monday morning. A co-worker cries as she looks on.

Radford University Director of New Student Programs and Services Michael Dunn cleans out his office with his son Zach on Monday. His son is a 2008 graduate of Radford.

RADFORD -- Dozens of students and some retired faculty protested the layoffs of Radford University administrators Monday at a hastily organized demonstration in Walker Hall.

Michael Dunn, director of the New Student Programs and Services office, and associate director Marc Jacobsen were both terminated Monday morning, making them the first casualties of a $6.4 million cut to the university's operating budget announced last week by Gov. Tim Kaine.

Kaine cut funding to all state-sponsored universities by up to 15 percent to help offset a $1.35 billion revenue shortfall. This is the second round of cuts that local universities, including Virginia Tech, have sustained since last year. Radford officials have warned that layoffs and early retirements will be necessary. Tech officials have said both work force reductions and tuition increases will be required.

As Dunn and Jacobsen packed their belongings, students outside their offices discussed what could be done about the layoffs.

"We know we can't change what happened," protest organizer Rachel Ristow told the crowd. "But we want to show people how we feel about it.

"It wasn't professional the way they did this," Ristow added.

Professor emeritus Mick Stewart attended the rally and handed out T-shirts that said: "You just can't get rid of a bad Penny," a reference to Radford University President Penelope Kyle.

"This is about bad management. It goes to the root of Radford University," he told the assembly.

Stewart encouraged students to "get organized. You can have an impact on this university. It's yours," he said.

"I was going to give Penny Kyle a chance this year, but ..." Radford business major Kerith Rae trailed off, shaking her head as she talked about the university's president.

Rae encouraged fellow students to express their displeasure to the board of visitors, which governs the university and hires the president.

"It won't work to go to Kyle," Rae said. "These are the people we need to send messages to."

University spokesman Jeff Douglas wrote in an e-mail Monday that reorganizing the student programs office is part of RU's efforts to "cope with about $16 million in budget cuts in two years."

"We deeply regret that the positions of two university employees have been discontinued as part of our efforts to realign our organizational structure and staffing situation with the realities of our new fiscal environment," Douglas wrote. "Administrative support and other personnel associated with the programs will continue to do their jobs and be supervised by other administrators within Student Affairs."

Dunn was informed of his termination at 10 a.m. Monday and told to leave campus by 5 p.m. His computer account was frozen and his keys taken.

Both Dunn and Jacobsen declined to comment, saying they needed time to absorb the impact of their surprise layoffs. They spent the afternoon packing and saying goodbye to the students gathered outside their offices. Many of the students wept. Dunn comforted some of them, hugging them and telling them he would be okay.

Dunn's wife, Peggy, expressed sadness.

"Our son graduated from Radford and had wonderful experiences there," she said. "We're RU folks."

Zach Dunn, a 2008 graduate of Radford, helped his father carry out boxes of files.

Ristow said she understands the university is dealing with a budget crisis.

But, Ristow said, she was displeased with the treatment of the Radford administrators. She also questioned raises and bonuses for top administrators including Kyle, and said students deserve a better explanation of these particular cuts.

"We are the customers here," she said.

Dunn is a nationally recognized student affairs administrator with 24 years of service at Radford. Jacobsen had worked at Radford for 10 years.

Dunn was asked last year to shoulder some duties in the admissions office when the university lost its top three administrators in that department to a buyout program.

Kyle said at the annual faculty convocation last month that turnover in admissions contributed to a drop in this year's enrollment.

On Thursday, the Radford University Board of Visitors unanimously approved state-funded severance and early retirement programs for faculty and staff expected to be laid off or to retire in the next year because of the state cuts. It's unclear if Dunn or Jacobsen will qualify for those programs.

Douglas wrote that he couldn't comment on other strategies that may be "under consideration in other areas of the university at this time." He said senior administrators are working to deliver the highest-quality programs with the resources they have.