Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

General Campus News, Updates, Discussion
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leatherface
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I wonder if this was a letter to the editor type thing, or, an actual interview article. Either way, it does sound rather whiney.
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Tere North
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The latest contract faculty were under was a 4/3 ACE workload. While to most of us that would mean teaching 4 courses one semester and 3 courses the other semester, it actually means a 21 unit load, regardless of what counts toward the load. For example, library faculty claim the highest ACE load, yet few teach and none teach 21 credit hours. What they get instead are Academic Course Equivalents, which, as the name says, are supposed to be comparable to actually teaching a course.

What the UPI was asking for was a reduction to a 3/3 load, while the initial administration request was to increase to 4/4.

If you taught classes as a traditional faculty member, such as Peter Cole, does, the 4/4 would mean 1 more course a year while the 3/3 would mean 1 less course/year. The administration has taken the 4/4 off the table, realizing the impact this would have on faculty who teach, but argued they could not afford a 3/3 model as they would have to hire more teachers.

Now, if you made 3/3 what it was intended to be, i.e., all faculty teach three, 3-credit courses, each semester, with the remaining 6 ACE available for service, research, etc., then they would have enough to cover all courses as those who currently do not teach, or teach very little, would have to cover the gap. Yes, they would vehemently complain, and the UPI leader as a library faculty is one, but most faculty would reap the rewards of less teaching, more time for service and research, and all would have a full-load of 24 ACE.
wiu712
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leatherface wrote: Sat Nov 11, 2017 11:51 am I wonder if this was a letter to the editor type thing, or, an actual interview article. Either way, it does sound rather whiney.
It was titled as a "Spotlight" on their Opinion page.
wiu712
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Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:05 pm

'Discover Western' designed to increase enrollment at WIU.
From tonight's WGEM News:
http://www.wgem.com/story/36833907/2017 ... ent-at-wiu

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wiu712
Posts: 6864
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:05 pm

Matt Bierman (Western's Budget Director): "When the State doesn’t pay, the school relies more heavily on students".

From today's McDonough County Voice:
http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/news/2017 ... n-students
wiu712
Posts: 6864
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:05 pm

The Eastern Illinois University Board of Trustees has asked university president David Glassman for a decision on what to do about Eastern’s sports programs, and whether some should be cut or not, by the end of the semester. However, it does not look like this will happen.

During a recent Faculty Senate meeting, Glassman told Faculty Senate members that open discussions about Eastern’s sports programs are still ongoing.

At that Faculty Senate meeting, Glassman said there is not a plan of action to be presented during Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting.
wiu712
Posts: 6864
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:05 pm

The new GOP tax bill could make grad school more expensive.

A new GOP congressional tax bill could scale back deductions for graduate students, meaning tuition waivers would be taxed like regular income.

Some graduate students at universities across Illinois are worried getting their doctorates could become impossible financially because of the possible tax deduction elimination. This could result in a decrease in the numbers of grad students being enrolled.
wiu712
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Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:05 pm

No real surprise here:

From the Rauner administration’s presentation to potential buyers of its $750 million bond offering…

INVESTMENT CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO THE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE STATE

Budget Passage

The State operated without fully enacted General Funds Budgets for Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017. The Fiscal Year 2018 General Funds Budget was vetoed by the Governor, and was enacted by the General Assembly after overriding the Governor’s vetoes of the Fiscal Year 2018 budget package. There can be no assurance that a budget will be enacted in future fiscal years.
wiu712
Posts: 6864
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:05 pm

Southern Illinois University discusses reorganization plan.

From the Associated Press:

The chancellor of Southern Illinois University wants to eliminate academic departments and department heads amid plummeting enrollment and deteriorating finances.

Chancellor Carlo Montemagno announced his plan earlier this month. He said it would move related areas of study under the same roofs and foster easier collaboration. The chancellor said eliminating department heads would also save the university $2.3 million annually.

“I have been a department chair myself, and I know that it is hard work,” Montemagno said. “I understand the importance of maintaining disciplinary identity around academic programs.”

Montemagno said the university is currently spending too much university funding and time on administration, “and not enough time on teaching and research.” .

Montemagno said his plan aims to save money, but he also sees the reorganization as an opportunity to make the university’s academic offerings more attractive to prospective students.

Some faculty members support the plan, saying reorganization is long overdue. Opponents have said eliminating departments will unleash complications.

“I think if things can be done in a productive manner, it can be good,” said James MacLean, an associate professor of physiology in the school of medicine. “But if this is done inappropriately and it causes faculty to be disgruntled and look elsewhere, that’s not good for us.”

Montemagno hopes to implement the changes by July 2018.
wiu712
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Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:05 pm

Dip in number of female freshmen at Western. 2017 Fall Freshmen total number = 1,206 (575 male and 631 female).

From today's McDonough County Voice:
http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/news/2017 ... e-freshmen
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