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Proposed Senate Budget Cuts

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Proposed Senate Budget Cuts

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Re: Proposed Senate Budget Cuts

Wow.  Is this definetly going through?

Teambeer is the most knowledgeable FAU sports fan I know, way smarter than me.
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Re: Proposed Senate Budget Cuts

walty12 said

Wow.  Is this definetly going through?

Hasn't passed or voted yet just proposed
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boozie132 said

walty12 said

Wow.  Is this definetly going through?

Hasn't passed or voted yet just proposed

How could someone even propose this? In a time when education is absolutely paramount they try to cut funding to it?

Why?????????????????


                                         ROLL OWLS
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Re: Proposed Senate Budget Cuts

On the upside, if there is an upside, we could finally have a legitimate enough reason to close some of these campuses that we don't need (like the Davie campus)
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Owl2Doc said

On the upside, if there is an upside, we could finally have a legitimate enough reason to close some of these campuses that we don't need (like the Davie campus)

If I am not mistaken, our satellite campuses both serve to expand our horizons and specialize learning areas. Like one place for ocean engineering and a business building in Ft Lauderdale…. I might be wrong. Help me out here?


                                         ROLL OWLS
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Re: Proposed Senate Budget Cuts

NJOWL said

Owl2Doc said

On the upside, if there is an upside, we could finally have a legitimate enough reason to close some of these campuses that we don't need (like the Davie campus)

If I am not mistaken, our satellite campuses both serve to expand our horizons and specialize learning areas. Like one place for ocean engineering and a business building in Ft Lauderdale…. I might be wrong. Help me out here?

Correct. SeaTech is indeed for ocean engineering and the downtown Ft.Lauderdale campus (which is just the one building, I believe) is the primary home for the architecture program. Similarly, the Jupiter campus is home to the Honors College.

But the overarching reason why we have so many campuses is to "provide increased access to higher education." What this translates to is spreading our resources very thin trying to sustain campuses all over the place.

I mentioned Davie because I'd recently spent some time on the Davie campus and it was hard to justify what I saw. The FAU buildings are interwoven with Broward College buildings, so it's hard to tell what's what. There's an FAU Health and Wellness Center literally right next to the Broward College Health and Wellness Center. There's a big joint library… basically across the street from Nova's library, which is the largest academic library in south Florida. So there are resources right there to fill the need. Yet we keep pouring money into that campus instead of concentrating on the Boca campus; In fact, I think the Davie Master Plan shows it doubling the number of buildings.

I'm sure there's some great research being done there. But I'm sure there's great research being done all over Florida and other states too. I had friends in grad school at FAU who did research in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. We didn't have campuses there.

Just my schpiel. It's likely insensitive to the needs of the working adult who wants to get a college degree at night and has a full-time job during the day. But at some point, it doesn't make financial sense to support every person in every situation who wants a bachelor's degree.

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So was this actually passed or does it still need to get further nods to become official?

This article says,

"TALLAHASSEE — A $400 million cut in university spending included in a $70.8 billion state budget proposal was approved Wednesday by the Senate budget panel, whose chief said schools can plug the gap with reserve funds he accused them of hoarding.



The proposed university cuts roiled the day-long hearing of the Budget Committee. While Florida Atlantic University was hit hard, much of Wednesday's drama pivoted on the University of South Florida, embroiled in a battle with Budget Chairman J.D. Alexander over spinning off the school's polytechnic program into Florida's 12th university.

FAU, which faces a $47 million reduction, would lose about one-third of its state financing. FAU President M.J. Saunders called the cut "devastating," and warned it would send shudders across South Florida.



Tuition at five state schools has spiked 60 percent over the past four years, and 45 percent at the six others, including FAU.

Alexander, though, said state finance records show schools had $859 million in reserves available at year's end – $300 million more in reserves than in 2008, when the steep tuition climb began.

He said it was wrong to claim the latest cuts would fall "on the backs of students."

"The almost $1 billion these universities have in reserves is equal to the working capital reserves of the state of Florida," Alexander said."
 
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Here is the PR from the University

FAU Faces $47 Million Dollar Cut to its General Revenue Budget
If Approved, 33 Percent Cut Could Have Dramatic Impact

            BOCA RATON, FL (February 15, 2012) – Florida Atlantic University could receive a $47 million reduction to its general revenue budget if the proposal made by the Florida Senate is passed this week.  The drastic cut would remove one-third of FAU’s State University System (SUS) appropriation.
            “The passage of the proposed budget cuts to Florida Atlantic University would have a devastating effect on the future of FAU and the opportunities it provides to our faculty, staff, students, alumni, as well as its surrounding communities,” said FAU President Mary Jane Saunders.  “FAU provides a $4 billion economic impact to its six-county service region, and these cuts would be shattering to all we serve.”
            Under the plan, FAU, which is about 9 percent of the SUS Education & General (E&G) budget, is slated to take 11.8 percent of the system cut, or $47 million.
The magnitude of these reductions have potential to lead to severely negative outcomes, which could include closing of academic programs; closing of FAU campuses; and the elimination of programs and classes offered during the summer semester. The cuts also could lead to loss of economic development to the local community, as well as layoffs and/or employee furloughs, and reduced staffing.
            “Florida Atlantic University provides quality education and research opportunities throughout the state of Florida,” said Robert J. Stilley, chair of FAU’s Board of Trustees. “The Senate cannot pass this steep budget cut, as it would drastically affect Florida’s economic development efforts and all services it provides for education and community engagement.”
            In percentage terms, FAU is the second hardest hit of the SUS universities.  The spread between the percentage of the cuts apportioned to a university and that university’s percentage of the E&G budget shows that the University of South Florida fares the worst with a cut that is 5.6 percent steeper than its operating percentage.  FAU’s cut is next steepest at 3.8 percent deeper than its operating percentage.  The University of Central of Florida is next at 3.6 percent, followed by Florida International University at 2.1 percent more than its share of the E&G budget.  All other universities have cuts that are below its percentage of the E&G budget.

-FAU-
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.


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Re: Proposed Senate Budget Cuts

I guess it's out of the question for everyone to take a cut fairly. I don't see them saying UF and FSU are going to be crying in their beer and closing programs.

Higher education in Florida is so broke, both figuratively and literally. It's ridiculous.

Sometimes it's like Florida can't do anything right. I need to get out of this state.
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