BGSU

[professorjackson]

Things are not good for BGSU right now. Faculty disappointment and anger with the central administration are very high. Wonderful programs that define the essence of BGSU may soon be eliminated.

Money is tight and there are rumors of potentially massive cuts in the number of instructors (not professors, but instructors, those underpaid and overworked faculty who teach huge numbers of sections here cheaply).

I am asking all friends of BG to talk to faculty members from their time here that they respect what they think about what is going on here. Please do it and report it on this thread.

This institution is changing in myriad ways that could make it unrecognizable from the institution we all know and love.

David J. Jackson
Associate Professor, Political Science
And M.A., BGSU, 1993

[jacojdm]

Things are not good for BGSU right now. Faculty disappointment and anger with the central administration are very high. Wonderful programs that define the essence of BGSU may soon be eliminated.
...
This institution is changing in myriad ways that could make it unrecognizable from the institution we all know and love.

Because your perspective is different from the rest of ours, may I ask you elaborate on either of these points? Is this faculty discontent across all colleges, or just what you are seeing in A&S? What wonderful programs are in danger of elimination? What myriad changes are on the horizon?

[professorjackson]

Well, the personnel cuts could result in much, much larger classes.

See the BG News for how international students were screwed, but the screwing stopped only when the issue was brought to public attention.

Programs whose futures are threatened include a lot of graduate programs, the learning communities, BGEX, Canadian Studies and more.

There's more, much more. I really do hope that alumni contact the faculty they respect and ask them their opinons.

[Rightupinthere]

Do these cuts have anything to do with Fingerhut's vision of Valhalla?

[professorjackson]

Some do, like Canadian Studies. But there's more, much more going on.

It's long, but here is a recent "issues statement" from some faculty. There are MANY more concerned faculty than just the names listed.

http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dhh2vz27_24dvrxqmd6

[PGY Tiercel]

There are some pretty respectable names on that list. I worked very closely with two of them as an undergrad, and would trust their judgment on these issues.
The question remains, other than being aware of these issues and talking to faculty, what to you propose us alumni do?

[It's the Journey...]

These are some serious voilations Dave. It seems as though the Board of Trustees has found the female equilivalent (sp?) of Ed Whipple and made her Provost. I have heard from some credible sources that Dr. Ribeau was not consulted as is customary when the search for a Provost was going on. That lack of respect for one of our BEST University Presidents "may" have been a factor in his leaving. I hope this can be turned around. Anything I can do to help will be done.

[professorjackson]

The Dean's take on budget cuts in the College of A and S.

"I am aware that there has been a high level of anxiety – understandably – about budget cuts in our College. I’ve been working with A&S’s Executive Staff and in consultation with Chairs & Directors and the College Budget Committee to develop a plan to address the College’s personnel budget.
In past years A&S operated with significant deficits, a budgetary model that we can no longer sustain in today’s economic climate. As the Provost noted in her last town hall meeting, she intends to distribute funds to colleges so that they might begin hiring and to balance tenure and non-tenure track lines for future stability. Unfortunately, “soft-funded” personnel in A&S account for a total of $7.5 million – far in excess of the total funds the Provost was able to make available to ALL colleges. The plan we’ve proposed makes use of personnel dollars generated by retirements and resignations, reserve funds, fractional and unswept lines, and funds provided by the Provost, but unfortunately we’ve had to augment these funds with about a $1.2 million reduction in part-time costs and the non-renewal of some instructor lines. I deeply regret this last budgetary measure, but we’re left with no other viable alternatives. We’re working one-on-one with departments and programs to find ways to absorb these cost-savings in ways that maintain as much as possible the integrity and mission of each unit.
The positive outcome of these measures is that we believe the College of Arts & Sciences can move ahead in future years as a completely “hard-funded” unit and not continue to run an annual deficit. We also expect that all personnel dollars generated by resignations and retirements in the future will remain in the College for redistribution as personnel lines in accordance with department and college compacts. I have also been able to build in a few tenure-track faculty searches to this year’s budget to address some emergency needs identified by Dean Nieman last year.
I understand that this may not allay all your concerns about the effect our budget reductions will have on your departments and, in some cases, on your own personal circumstances. Because we’re working with chairs and directors so that they might address budget savings within their own units to best accommodate departmental or programmatic priorities, I would recommend that you first consult with them about the immediate impact of these measures.
News of budget reductions is never gratefully received. But I hope that the plan we’ve developed this year – as difficult as it is to absorb – will establish a firm foundation for future growth in A&S."

[professorjackson]

BG News story about the troubles:

http://media.www.bgnews.com/media/stora ... 8563.shtml

[professorjackson]

Some of President Cartwright's comments to the faculty Senate this week:

"Translated to BGSU, we are considering several planning scenarios for the next biennium based on assumptions about enrollment, state support and tuition increases. Obviously, a change to each assumption changes the bottom line deficit for our operating budget, and none of the planning scenarios are positive. One that we consider reasonable based on what we know today requires that we cut about $7 million from the operating budget for next year – and that is on top of cuts already taken to balance the operating budget for this fiscal year. Is this the right budget reduction number? I don’t know what the specific numbers will be at the end of the process but I do know that they will be significant and I know that we cannot wait to make many necessary decisions."

"Again, underlying these decisions is a commitment to support our core mission. This means that there will likely be lay-offs and that we will also need to keep hiring in key areas."

"On another topic, within the past week I’ve been asked about several rumors regarding UT and BGSU. Here are the facts: (1) there are no merger discussions underway between UT and BGSU; (2) however, there are on-going discussions about partnerships, especially in research and technology transfer."

[Rightupinthere]

"On another topic, within the past week I’ve been asked about several rumors regarding UT and BGSU. Here are the facts: (1) there are no merger discussions underway between UT and BGSU; (2) however, there are on-going discussions about partnerships, especially in research and technology transfer."

Pretty simple to read between the lines. UT and BGSU will likely "combine" only in a sense where there would be very little duplicity in offered majors. This would likely play into the intentions for Ohio's higher education.

It's discomforting.

[Radioactive Falcon]

I've thought about this for a little bit, and I'm curious.. Why hasn't BGSU issued any bonds to help raise money while times are lean? If anyone has information on current possible bond purchases from the university, I'd appreciate it. Currently, I sent an e-mail to the alumni center looking for more information. If you are interested in owning a piece of the university as well, I suggest you inquire. Perhaps with enough attention we can help find a productive measure out of the current budget cuts.

To Whom May Know:

I have been reviewing the budget cuts to the College of Arts and Science on www.ay-ziggy-zoomba.com and the BG News, when I was wondering about current financial situations at BGSU. I understand that that economic times are difficult, resulting in decreased incoming students, rising tuition costs, and reduced stock positions held by the university. However I was curious as to why there has been no information or push for an issuance of Bonds to help in the current economic times. Upon searching the BGSU website, I discovered that "The Board approved the Series 2004 Resolution authorizing the issuance of General Receipts Bonds of the University in a principal amount not to exceed $35,00,000 to provide moneys.."
<<http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/president/page7425.html>> In the 2004 meeting minutes, yet I cannot see any more recent issuance of Bonds. Municipal bonds often provide tax free interest to the bond holder, and provide an alternative to donations to the university. As a recent alumni, I would enjoy the prospect of investing back into the university generating a stable (if low) return on money and reducing the burden of the current economic climate on students. Tuition at BGSU is already one of the most expensive in the State for public institutions, and I would hope to provide some measure of relief for those incoming students. If you have any information about current available bonds or the possibility of petitioning for a new Bond issuance, I would appreciate your help in this matter.


Sincerely,

Michael Deitering
Class of 2007

[professorjackson]

Rumors of more cuts, deep cuts, in instructors, the people who perform the fundamental mission of the university. The rumors, then news, just keep getting worse and worse. Beyond possible elimination of many, many instructors, rumors abound of the possibility of tenured and tenure track faculty pay cuts. Rumors of cuts, big cuts in the Colleges of Technology and Business, beyond the bloodbath in Arts and Sciences.

[Jamie Gillis]

Rumors of more cuts, deep cuts, in instructors, the people who perform the fundamental mission of the university. The rumors, then news, just keep getting worse and worse. Beyond possible elimination of many, many instructors, rumors abound of the possibility of tenured and tenure track faculty pay cuts. Rumors of cuts, big cuts in the Colleges of Technology and Business, beyond the bloodbath in Arts and Sciences.

Question. Do you see this as merely the belt tightening that any public university is going to be doing for the foreseeable future because of the economy, or is this some part of the state's "reorganization?"

What is the faculty's thoughts/concerns about the USO?

[professorjackson]

This is more than belt-tightening. These cuts are so deep that my best guess (and sadly, we are all forced to guess right now), is that programs will be eliminated or consolidated and teaching loads for a lot of people will go up. Right now I'd guess lots of graduate programs getting the axe (history Ph.D.), things like Canadian Studies, Africana Studies, Women's Studies going away. Even if you don't like these things, this is no way to decide the nature of the university.