June 12, 2008
In our efforts to communicate the latest budget developments here and in Tallahassee in a timely manner, the university is disseminating weekly budget updates from President Modesto A. Maidique. These communiques are sent to our students, faculty and staff, alumni, donors, FIU Board of Trustees, Foundation Board of Directors, President's Council, select media, elected officials and other interested parties. We believe that timely information on a topic of such critical importance will benefit the entire university community and help to continue the university's forward momentum.
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In This Issue:
Dear members of the university community:
Today our Board of Trustees approved the budget reduction plan we put forth after months of evaluation and consultation with the entire university community and others. The plan calls for the closure of more than two dozen academic programs and centers. Given the nature of academic programs and our commitment to students already enrolled, most of these closures and staff reductions will take effect over the next three years.
These extreme measures are necessary to bridge a record $32 million gap in our budget this year. The gap is a result of the reduced state budget and increased costs to continue operating. The gap is mitigated by some one-time dollars we had in reserve and by efficiencies we were able to employ in operational areas.
We arrived at this list of programs through an exhaustive process that looked at how each unit in the university was serving our community, educating students and how it aligned with the university’s research mission. I think everyone involved would agree it was an arduous but necessary exercise.
The plan was discussed and reviewed by the Faculty Senate, as well as in a number of other meetings, including three Town Hall meetings attended by hundreds of faculty, staff and students.
At today’s Academic Policy Committee and full Board of Trustees meetings, there was intense discussion about the 25 programs recommended for closure, including dance, humanities, and industrial system engineering. After hearing from students, faculty and community representatives, the board adopted the recommendations to close these programs and recommend to the Board of Governors that the Ph.D. program in industrial and systems engineering be closed as well.
Our trustees understood that these program closings emerged through a long and painful process. They also understood that if they rejected any of these programs for closure, we would have to go back to the drawing board and select other programs that would generate equivalent savings.
As someone who has spent more than 20 years working to build this university, I am heartbroken to have to be involved in downsizing it. I don’t remember a previous BOT meeting where students and faculty members left in tears. Unfortunately, we simply do not have a choice.
The programs we are phasing out are as follows:
Dance, BA
English Teacher Education, BS
English Teacher Education, MS
Environmental and Systems Engineering, MS
Exercise Science, BS, MS
German, BA
Health Sciences, BS
Health Information Management, BA
Humanities, BA
Insurance and Risk Management, BBA
Industrial Systems Engineering, BS, MS,
Logistics and Materials Management, BBA
Mathematics Teacher Education, BS, MS
Music Teacher Education, BS
Science Teacher Education, BS, MS
Social Science Teacher Education, BS, MS
Technology Management, MS
Tourism Studies, MS
Travel and Tourism Management, BS
In addition, the board agreed to recommend to the Board of Governors that we close the Ph.D. program in Industrial and Systems Engineering.
In the case of the programs closed in the College of Education, we found that there’s a more efficient way to deliver that same education. Namely, through partnerships with programs already established in the College of Arts and Sciences. We will not stop educating English or math teachers. We will approach their education in a new, and we believe, more effective way.
The Board also accepted our recommendation to close six centers. Those are:
Center for Economic Research and Education
Center for Health Research and Policy
Future Aerospace Science and Technology Center for Space
Center for Ethnobiology and Natural Products
Institute for Children and Families at Risk
Intercultural Institute for Educational Initiatives
It has been a difficult process, and one which I’ve shared with you weekly over the past three months. Today was a tough day for everyone involved. But all of us -- the executive team and the members of the Board of Trustees -- believe that the university will emerge from this stronger and better equipped to meet the needs of future generation of students.
The strategy is multifaceted:
- No across-the-board cuts.
- Multifaceted three-year plan to the reduce budget.
- Protect current students. Students in programs designated for closure will be offered the opportunity to finish their degree programs.
- Find new money to continue investing in critical areas, including student advising.
- Budget reduction plan must be multi-year because we believe there will be further cuts this year and in future budget cycles.
We are confident we have taken the least damaging road to cutting $32 million out of our E&G budget.
I thank the entire university community for your thoughtful involvement in this process. Our students’ participation was passionate and professional. I thank the faculty and the deans, for their tireless effort in sifting through all the information to find the programs that were ultimately recommended for termination. I would like to once again recognize the work done by Senior Vice President and CFO Vivian Sanchez and her team and Provost Berkman, who in my estimation had the biggest burden of all because he oversaw the process that developed the recommendation for program closures.
I am very grateful to the members of the Board of Trustees for supporting our months-long effort. In particular, I thank Trustees Bruce Hauptli for guiding, in a thoughtful and responsible way, the collegial participation that we experience throughout this process.
I thank all of you not for me, but for FIU.
As an optimist I have to say that Monday marks the beginning of a new phase for FIU – FIU 3.0 – and I ask for your dedication and support as we continue to offer our community the most valuable gift of higher education.
Presentations from today’s meetings are available at http://president.fiu.edu/budget_pres.html