(Host) University of Vermont students and faculty say the Board of Trustees should consider alternatives to layoffs and budget cuts. The Board is meeting this week to get an update on the school’s response to an estimated $28 million shortfall.
Education Professor David Shiman is the president of United Academics, the union that represents faculty. Shiman says administrators should instead be looking at the endowment.
(Shiman) "So why not look at this in the way other universities have, and say are there ways that we can tap into this, to give us some breathing room to make decisions. I think another way is to look down the hallway, and look at the salaries and say are there some issues that the administration can look at, as far as compensation for upper level administrators.”
(Host) Shiman says that administrators should not act so quickly on cuts. Deans have submitted plans for layoffs and budget reductions. Nursing Professor Judith Cohen says the threat of layoffs have been stressful for faculty. And she says necessary programs like hers shouldn’t face cuts:
(Cohen) “It makes absolutely no strategic sense given the University’s emphasis on health and increasing enrollments that resources are not forthcoming to support programs at UVM where there is a high interest and even greater societal need."
(Host) UVM president Dan Fogel says the school may be able to avoid layoffs by eliminating vacant positions. And Fogel says no decisions will be made until the size of potential state appropriations are known.