Budget and Program Cuts for UT Knoxville
To: Knoxville Area Faculty and Staff
From: Interim Chancellor Jan Simek
Over the last few weeks, our campus has been engaged in difficult discussions about how to best deal with mandated budget cuts of more than $11.1 million to UT Knoxville for the 2008-2009 year.
As you know from earlier messages, we instructed our leadership team last month to make strategic choices in how these cuts were to be made rather than mandating across-the-board reductions. The overall cut required is 5.7 percent of the $195.3 million state appropriation for the Knoxville campus.
Our vice chancellors and deans developed their budget reduction plans. I have shared these plans with President Petersen, who will be discussing them with the UT Board of Trustees Executive Committee at its meeting set for Friday, June 6, in Nashville. The board will give final consideration to these cuts, as well as to the proposed 6 percent tuition increase, in the context of the FY08-09 budget at its annual meeting set for June 19-20 in Knoxville.
Today I want to share some specifics with you about how we have proposed to achieve the budget reductions. The Knoxville campus administration will absorb $6.7 million, or 60 percent, of the overall cut. A remainder of $4.4 million must be cut from academic units and vice chancellor areas. Our proposal calls for the elimination of 44 unfilled faculty and staff positions campus-wide and significant reductions in planned maintenance and repairs, contracted services, travel, and planned purchases of technology and other instructional resources.
In the academic units, we will begin the phase-out or closure of three academic departments or programs, which include the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology in the College of Arts and Sciences; the Industrial and Organizational Psychology graduate program in the College of Business Administration; and the dance program, a minor concentration in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. The leadership of these colleges believes that program elimination in specific areas is a more strategic option than an across-the-board cut of positions and funding that would, in effect, weaken all programs.
The university will work diligently to help currently enrolled students complete their degree plans, when possible, in a timely manner. Faculty and staff will continue to deliver courses, advising and other services throughout the phase-out period. The faculty and staff in these units will be reassigned wherever possible, assisted in pursuing opportunities in other units, or, in some cases, assisted in finding opportunities outside the university.
Specific questions about the programs should be directed to the colleges.
Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology –College of Arts and Sciences, call Heather Cockrum at (865) 974-4377 or e-mail artscidean@utk.edu
Dance program – College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, call Dulcie Peccolo at (865) 974-5200.or e-mail her at dpeccolo@utk.edu.
Industrial and Organizational Psychology doctoral program – College of Business Administration, call Cindy Raines at (865) 974-5061 or craines1@utk.edu.
While these are difficult decisions, it is my belief that making such tough choices, rather than across-the-board cuts, will better preserve the quality of the institution. I will look to our entire community to come together to develop innovative strategies for cost savings and improved efficiencies as we go forward. I appreciate the commitment that we all share in preserving the quality of education offered by our flagship university. Thank you for all you do for UT Knoxville.
Posted June 4, 2008