PSU budget message: Cut programs, not quality 0 n Sept. 16, some 500 PSU faculty crowded into Lincoln Hall Auditorium to hear President Joseph Blumel announce his provisional plan for reducing the 1982-83operating budget by 4 percent ($1.7 million). He asked the facuity to review the provisional plan prior to submission to the Chancellor's office Nov. 1. At the same tlme, Blumel issued a formal declaration of financial exigency at PSU, a technical term meaning the University wiil be unable to meet its financial obligations in 1982-83 without layoffs of tenured faculty. The University's budget cutting plan will be reviewed by the State Board in December, and presented to the legislature, either through a special session, or the Emergency Board, next spring. P ortland State Universrty will open the 1982-83 school with ninedewer academic and public sewice programs and s~qnlflcanctuts in a dozen others under a provisional plan for tuning four percent from the institution's operating budget. Thls follows similar reductions made over the past year which saw available course sections reduced by some ten percent at PSU and deep cuts in non-instmctlonai areas. With the added four percent cut, Blumel told the facuity, "It is clear to me, and I believe to all of us, that this level of reduction cannot be accompilshedwlthout resoning to disconilnuance of some programs and reductlons in others." In developing his provisional plan for program cuts. Blumel said he looked for programs with lagging student Interest, instances In which full development of the prcgramdid not seem a realistic possibility In the foreseeabie future, and Instancesin whlch altematlve oppoltunities are readily available. Blumel said the prcgram reduction task is very difficult at PSU, "because the University is not generously endowed with program authorizationswhen judged against the she and diversity of its clientele and the needs of the Ponland metropolitan area." " ~at my hope," he added. "mat during this process me Board wiil msider whether the state system's oroarams are odimailv located $eo&aphlcally, i n d ol;tlmaliy d~stributedamong its institutions." President Jose The president's proposed prcgram cuts are: 1. Sewice courses in Health and PE (5 faculty positions). These are the required PE courses and their eliminationwill involve a change in graduation requirements. 2. Area studies programs in Central Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East (6.33 faculty, 1 class~f~epdos~t~on). "A major retreat from international education.'' 3. Undergraduate service courses in Business Education (2 faculty posftlons). These are underaraduatecourses in tvoino. shofl&na and onlce machkeswhlch are needed by students wno want lo leach hlgh scnool ouslness CoLrses Alternativesare available in the area. 4. Women's Studies Certificate program ( I facu ty. 1 classified p- os-lr-rrI n ) Fuii oevelopment of the pmgn addltic justifie 5. JOI positic . . Im would require significant mal courses which cannot be d, based on student interest. lrnalism (2.73 facuity Ins). There can be no queslion aWut the appropriatenessof a journalism program in the state's media center, but there appears no serious interest by media or the State Board to glve PSU authorizationto develop the prim.pal journalism program for the state. 6. Center for the Mavin0 lmaae (2 faculty. o 5 c asslfled6 s ttoGs) There IS no formal program, and adequate developmeniwouidrequire a considerableexoanslonof 7. ~ u t u t ~eesearchinstitute 10.67 facultv. 0.5 classified ~.. ... , . - - - ~ - - ~ poslllonsl. A valuaole aolLnct to the Systems science ooctora program. but not essential to carrying out its mtsslon. 8. Master of Ark and Master of Science in Teaching (MAT MST) programs in these areas: afl, bloiogy, chemistry, economics, elementary education, geography history, physics. political science. socioloav. theater arts. soeech cnmm&ation. and earth science. Sf~oenlscan oe accommodatedby MAT MST programs n general arts and leners, general science, and general sock1 science. ' 9. Oregon institute for Policy Studies (3.3 facuity, 1 classified posit~on).Continuanceof the institute would require reallocation of instltutionai funds which are not available. 10. In addition, President Blumel's provisional plan calls for eliminating the following faculty positions: one position each from administration of justlce, biology, chemistry, foreign languages, geography, sociology, soeech communication: two facultv - 7 - ~ - ~ pos~otns each from po It cai sc ence. pnyscs, Engllsh, and three eacn from h~storyand ph~losopny. The President's plan also calls for elimination of 3 faculty and 11 classified positions from the Division of Continuing Education. The President gave the faculty until Oct. 12 to comment on the proposal. He then will have aDDroXlmatek two weeks to out the ~ninto final fo61 prior ition to the Chancellor.
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