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Please note that the Town Hall meeting scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. has changed locations. It will now be held in the Graham Center Ballrooms.
If you can’t make the meeting, follow FIU News on Twitter for updates.
Dear members of the university community:
On this first week of the regular legislative session, our colleagues are in Tallahassee working to obtain the best possible outcomes for FIU. One of our priorities is to secure the funding necessary for our College of Medicine to open its doors in August.
As you know, there are many variables at play in this complex funding equation: Some of those variables include revenue projections, federal stimulus dollars, new streams of revenue under discussion, and tuition and fee increases. The principal determinant, of course, is how the economy performs in the coming months.
The next general revenue estimating conference is scheduled for March 13. At that time we will get a somewhat better idea of what kind of cut to expect. In the mean time, we are getting ready for FIU Day in Tallahassee, scheduled for March 11. On that day, a group of FIU students, friends, alumni and several members of our Board of Trustees descend upon the capitol to make it again clear to our legislators that FIU is a critical institution in our community and a vital economic engine that must be protected from even deeper cuts.
At the same time that we fight for funding in Tallahassee, we must go to work here at home so that we are prepared, in the likely case that we have to make cuts. Our current projections, sans stimulus, indicate that we need to be prepared to cut 15 percent, which is approximately seven percent more than we had anticipated cutting in our three-year strategic plan. This, no doubt, is going to be an arduous and painful process, but one that is, strategic, transparent and responsive to your input.
Town Hall meeting on Monday
Our first Town Hall meeting of 2009 has been scheduled for Monday, March 9, 2009 at the Graham Center Ballrooms at University Park. Everyone is invited. This is the first of a series of Town Hall meetings we are planning on the budget. Just as last year, the purpose of these gatherings is twofold: First, this is the best way to communicate to the entire university community the strategy, framework and methodology we will use for making cuts. Second, Town Hall meetings give us an opportunity to hear directly from you about your ideas regarding what’s important for our university and this community. I hope you will come this year in the same spirit of cooperation and with the same passion for our institution. Also, bring your creativity, because we need to find new ways to make and save money.
As you know, I have decided that the vice presidents will forgo any performance bonuses this year. Also, I donated to the College of Medicine and the green effort at FIU the full bonus the Board of Trustees awarded me. But we must do more. Other measures will include the four day-10 hours modified summer schedule, cutbacks in overtime available in some units and possibly the use of furloughs (day off without pay) as we strive to keep the pieces together and prevent layoffs.
At Monday’s Town Hall meeting, we will have a brief presentation to review our strategy and timeline and will open up the floor for your questions and comments. Biscayne Bay-based members of our community who cannot join me in University Park on Monday will be able to participate remotely from Wolfe University Center Ballroom at BBC.
A follow up Town Hall meeting is being planned for March 30 at 2:30. Please mark your calendar and look for more details about this meeting in coming days.
I encourage you to attend the Town Hall meetings. Their effectiveness is predicated on your participation. If you have specific issues that you would like for us to address at Monday’s Town Hall, please e-mail them to presmail@fiu.edu. I look forward to your suggestions and comments.
Modesto A. Maidique
President
Our most impactful research:
Dear President,
I think it is necessary to fight against the economy crisis, and budget cut together, in the sake of panther honor. I advocate that we can save some money on office supplies, which is also good for the environment. Furthermore, students are qualified for some dollars for printing every semester. It is not very efficient for it seems that some students choose to print something even though it is not necessary. I advocate to cut the money, about 10 dollars into half or less, and request students to pay for printing, which saves paper, saves trees, and also saves the earth. It is also a choice to reduce the frequency of shuttle buses and increases its ticket price.
Thank you.
Best regards and good luck for the budget activities.
Rech
I think it was a bold move, Mr. President, to donate your bonus and hold back on the bonus pay for VPs. This symbolic move sends a clear message to the university community: you feel our pain and you too are sacrificing as you have asked us to sacrifice.
I applaud your decision; I hope others will see its significance as well.