Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

[sealhall74]

Question for the group:

When does an enrollment reduction trigger a reduction-in-force for staffing ???

A early posting had mentioned that the Fall 2016 freshmen enrollment would be 1,500 instead of the expected 2,000.

500 fewer freshmen would mean that fewer faculty and fewer residence hall staff would be needed.

A full-time freshman pays $537 per year in Athletic fees. So 500 X $537 = $268,500. That would be a big hit to the Athletics budget.

I can remember hearing former President Goldfarb saying on "Public Perspective" on WJEQ-FM that he predicted that Western's enrollment would stabilize in the 6,000 range. That would be what the campus was like in the early 60's when Western played NAIA Athletics.

Tough pill to swallow, but amidst all of this budget turmoil, U of I is opening a new residence hall this coming fall. Just coincidentally, it will have 504 beds. It is going to be damn tough to compete with the "system" and stay Division 1.

[Tere North]

Question for the group:

When does an enrollment reduction trigger a reduction-in-force for staffing ???

A early posting had mentioned that the Fall 2016 freshmen enrollment would be 1,500 instead of the expected 2,000.

500 fewer freshmen would mean that fewer faculty and fewer residence hall staff would be needed.

A full-time freshman pays $537 per year in Athletic fees. So 500 X $537 = $268,500. That would be a big hit to the Athletics budget.

I can remember hearing former President Goldfarb saying on "Public Perspective" on WJEQ-FM that he predicted that Western's enrollment would stabilize in the 6,000 range. That would be what the campus was like in the early 60's when Western played NAIA Athletics.

That reduction in force has been happening for all except bargaining unit (UPI) faculty. That has been a bone of contention as UPI refuses to be part of the solution, ignoring that students are down 25% but faculty only down half that. As a result, those reductions in force have hit even harder outside the faculty ranks where it generally takes at least 2-3 to lose their job to cover the 1 faculty member who kept theirs.

[ibleedpurpleandgold]

[ST_Lawson]

Here's the official press release: http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php ... e_id=13549

[wiu712]

Here is how today's bad news was reported on local tv, radio, and the press:

More Layoffs at Western Illinois University
From Tri-States Public Radio WIUM-FM:
http://tspr.org/post/more-layoffs-weste ... university


Local university to lay off 110 additional employees
From WGEM News:
http://www.wgem.com/story/31716054/2016 ... -employees


More layoffs hit Western
From the Western Courier:
http://westerncourier.com/35552/news/mo ... t-western/

[wiu712]

Interesting article from the "Alton Telegraph" comparing SIUE and Western.

SIUE, WIU: A Tale of Two Universities
http://thetelegraph.com/opinion/77309/s ... iversities

[Tere North]

Interesting article from the "Alton Telegraph" comparing SIUE and Western.

SIUE, WIU: A Tale of Two Universities
http://thetelegraph.com/opinion/77309/s ... iversities

SIUe's approach has looked forward to where there will be jobs, WIU has embraced the holistic value of liberal arts education, but without the ability to connect the courses in a meaningful manner. The Chronicle of Higher Ed found much the same problem in an article about the need to redefine the Bachelor's degree. http://chronicle.com/article/Rebuilding ... ors/236087

We need leadership that moves us forward, makes the tough decision, and stands by them if Western it to not just survive, but excel.

[vatusay]

It's a buyers market in Macomb.

[sealhall74]

Interesting article from the "Alton Telegraph" comparing SIUE and Western.

SIUE, WIU: A Tale of Two Universities
http://thetelegraph.com/opinion/77309/s ... iversities

SIUe's approach has looked forward to where there will be jobs, WIU has embraced the holistic value of liberal arts education, but without the ability to connect the courses in a meaningful manner. The Chronicle of Higher Ed found much the same problem in an article about the need to redefine the Bachelor's degree. http://chronicle.com/article/Rebuilding ... ors/236087

-------------------

I somehow screwed this post up or our ability to quote a quote has been compromised. Above comments are Tere's, mine are below. (EDIT from ST_Lawson...fixed the formatting above for you)

So who is this mysterious person "Alton Telegraph". Does he/she have a close buddy in Macomb? No serious paper would let one of their employees pen an OPINION without putting their name on the line.

[wiu712]

So who is this mysterious person "Alton Telegraph". Does he/she have a close buddy in Macomb?

The "Alton Telegraph" article appeared on their "Opinion" page as an editorial.

The Managing Editor for the Telegraph is Nathan Woodside. He is a Western grad. He was a reporter and Assistant Editor for the "McDonough County Voice" from August 2010 to November 2011.