University Budget Address

wiu712 · Sat Dec 19, 2015 12:50 pm

The News reports from Friday's Board of Trustees meeting are making it sound like there will be a reduction-in-salary instead of the 50 layoffs.

Will this salary cut only apply to faculty positions or will it be applied across-the-board to all university employees ??

The News reports don't go into the specifics.

Sat Dec 19, 2015 1:38 pm

We're expecting across the board, all University employees. Pay reduction and maybe a few furlough days.

I'm ok with that personally if it means that everyone who wants to can keep their jobs. A lot of people are already taking early retirement anyway.

sealhall74 · Sat Dec 19, 2015 2:04 pm

And probably a few are polishing up their resumes as well. Question. Can union force university to replace someone who departs for greener pastures?

Tere North · Sat Dec 19, 2015 6:21 pm

wiu712 wrote:The News reports from Friday's Board of Trustees meeting are making it sound like there will be a reduction-in-salary instead of the 50 layoffs.

Yet, if those were jobs not needed because of enrollment declines and program cuts, what have you gained. Those who are needed suffer because those who are not needed stay. Sure, it depends on which side of the cuts you are on, but come on, just paying people to occupy space is not conducive to productivity or good morale.

sealhall74 · Wed Dec 23, 2015 9:01 am

From the outside looking in, IMO, there is really only one course of action that could quickly (say within 5 years) turn around the enrollment decline and that would be for Western to become a military-centric college along the lines of a smaller Virginia Tech or Texas A&M. There are no such public institutions in the midwest at this time. There is a niche for the immediate taking, with the entire world right now worried about global terrorism.

Tere North · Wed Dec 23, 2015 9:03 am

sealhall74 wrote:From the outside looking in, IMO, there is really only one course of action that could quickly (say within 5 years) turn around the enrollment decline and that would be for Western to become a military-centric college along the lines of a smaller Virginia Tech or Texas A&M. There are no such public institutions in the midwest at this time. There is a niche for the immediate taking, with the entire world right now worried about global terrorism.

Truman State did it is less than 5 years by focusing on being a public liberal arts school.

wiu712 · Wed Dec 23, 2015 9:19 am

sealhall74 wrote:There is really only one course of action that could quickly (say within 5 years) turn around the enrollment decline and that would be for Western to become a military-centric college along the lines of a smaller Virginia Tech or Texas A&M.

Tere North wrote:Truman State did it is less than 5 years by focusing on being a public liberal arts school.

Two very interesting approaches. Each is worthy of consideration.

Former President Goldfarb would frequently reference the big turn-around at Truman State during his appearances on "Public Perspective" on WJEQ-FM. He gave them high marks.