President Bernie Machen, of the University of Florida and formerly of the University of Utah, announced yesterday a budget reduction proposal for fiscal year 2008-2009. Among the cutbacks was the elimination of the PhD program in philosophy. No faculty or staff in the Philosophy department seem to have been affected by Machen’s action, but it is unclear whether that will remain the case. It’s probably best for the talented faculty of UF to jump ship as soon as possible; that will hopefully send the administration a message that their actions are intolerable. HT: Leiter.
The budget reduction proposal is a reflection of the sad state of affairs in the administrations of state universities and colleges nationwide. Presidents and Trustees prefer the elimination of liberal arts programs than budget reductions in athletics or professional degree programs. Such reductions clearly show a failure of administration to keep in mind the mission of the university.
Update @ 14:08: Sign the petition to help stop the elimination of the PhD in philosophy program at UF here. I am fond of Dr. Ariew’s quotation cited in the petition which I reproduce here: “I don’t have all the figures, but Florida’s canceling its Ph.D. in Philosophy will not result in great savings; it is a short-sighted and stupid move. Certainly it will result in a black mark for the “flagship” University in Florida.” Since philosophy programs are the easiest to finance, it seems unusual that the state’s “flagship” university eliminate the program. I probably should have mentioned this in my original post.
Maybe I shouldn’t judge President Bernie so quickly, since the budget reduction proposal includes the elimination of faculty and the elimination of professional degree programs. For example, Bernie did propose a cut to the Department of Medicine budget by $2.64M. But other non-academic programs deserve scrutiny, if for no other reason than they are taxing the university too highly
When a business’s cash flow reduces, the manager must cut some programs or lay-off some employees. Cutbacks are inevitable! The first programs to go are those that are not integral to the business’s mission, and the first employees to be laid-off are those who do not necessarily serve the business’s mission. In environmental research firms, for instance, the first employees to be fired are not the researchers or the analysts but the graphic designers and mail room employees.
Machen seems to be tossing out those integral to the mission of the university. His actions are obviously inconsistent with the university’s mission, which I reproduce here:
It is the mission of the University of Florida to offer broad-based, inclusive public education, leading edge research, and service to the citizens of Florida and the nation. The fusion of these three endeavors stimulates a remarkable intellectual vitality and generates a synthesis that is the university’s greatest strength.
“Intellectual vitality” and “inclusive public education” cannot be possible at a university where the President proposes budget reductions to diverse programs in liberal arts and professional programs.
Perhaps what I’m suggesting here is something unorthodox or too idealistic for those lovers of Florida football or soccer (yes, the women’s soccer program is very successful under the careful guidance of fellow Methodist alums: Becky Burleigh ‘89 and Victor Campbell ‘85). But I’m not suggesting to cut the programs altogether, but I’m also not suggesting that 27K is enough of a cut in the athletics budget (I hope feminist philosophers are paying attention too, because Machen’s proposed budget cut is a Title IX state contribution. Here’s to diversity Machen!) What I’m advising is significant athletic team budget reductions, in the form of athletic scholarships, travel reimbursement, and coach’s salary (may the last be first please).
Since student-athletes, particularly football players, look forward to potentially high-paying careers in the NFL, they should have to borrow money for tuition costs and have to pay-off school loans after graduating. What will inevitably take me ten years to pay off will take them 10 minutes on the professional field to pay off. I think they can afford a few loans.
Finally, enough’s enough, coaches inflated salaries – e.g., Urban Meyer’s $14 million over 7 years – have to be reduced or the universities and colleges risk losing a grip on their primary mission – providing the best possible education to future generations. No coach, not even ones that bring home a national championship, deserve to be paid $2 million for 20 or so games per year.
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Well said! I think that it is lunicy to pay coaches that much money when programs are being cut. I think your argument concerning football players is great! Man if only the higher-archy of the universities could see this clearly instead of being blondes by $.
*blinded by $ ( iphone spell check is stealthy).