Letter from President Machen Regarding 2009-10 Budget (PDF, 69KB)

Below is the University of Florida’s final budget reduction plan for the 2009-10 fiscal year, which begins on July 1. The plan includes $30.6 million in specific cuts. Federal stimulus funds will help bridge the gap and allow further deliberations before we reach the ultimate budget reduction of $42.2 million next year.

The reductions are presented by academic or administrative unit and include personnel and program impacts. Some highlights include:

Personnel Impacts

• Elimination of approximately 150 faculty and staff positions (combination of vacant positions, retirements and non-renewals)
• Anticipated layoffs totaling 9 faculty and 49 staff members

Programmatic Impacts

• Transition Internationally Educated Dentist Program to non-state funds
• Merge departments of operative dentistry and dental biomaterials
• Close Educational Psychology program
• Close instructional scuba program; move dive officer to Environmental Health and Safety
• Transition Living Well health program to non-state funds
• Merge the department of Communication Science and Disorders in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with the department of communicative disorders in the College of Public Health and Health Professions
• Close the Documentary Film Institute in the College of Journalism and Communications
• Close the rehabilitation counseling division within Behavior Science and Community Health in the College of Public Health and Health Professions
• Merge the Mental Health Center and the Counseling Center within Student Affairs

The administration has identified several administrative and universitywide initiatives, including, for example, potential changes to pay-outs for vacation or sick leave upon separation from the university, which are expected to save UF significant amounts of money. We are currently assessing these potential changes and the timing of any implementation. While it is impossible to know with absolute certainty the effectiveness of these changes, we anticipate recurring savings of as much as $8 million per year.

Additional unit-specific or other cuts amounting to $3.6 million have not yet been identified. Numerous budget reduction proposals are being vetted to cover this shortfall, including a reorganization of communications offices campuswide.

The unit reductions below may include cuts such as general reductions in recurring operating expenses, transferring expenses to non-state funding sources, etc. Below are the details regarding the components of the unit reductions that impact programs and employees.

Information regarding the layoff process and available services can be found at the Human Resources Web site at http://www.hr.ufl.edu/emp_relations/layoff/default.asp.

The University of Florida Board of Trustees will meet on May 26, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. to consider and approve the final $42.2 million budget reduction plan, as summarized below. Additional information can be found at http://www.trustees.ufl.edu.

Academic Units

Warrington College of Business Administration $1,468,135

• Employee Reductions
  • 1.5 faculty (0 layoffs)

College of Design, Construction, and Planning $516,609

• Employee Reductions
  • 1 staff (0 layoffs)

College of Dentistry $669,650

• Program Reductions
  • Alter Internationally Educated Dentist Program
  • Merge departments of operative dentistry and dental biomaterials
• Employee Reductions
  • 3 staff (0 layoffs)

Division of Continuing Education $123,000

• Employee Reductions
  • 1 faculty (0 layoffs)

College of Education $985,342

• Program Reductions
  • Closure of Educational Psychology program and associated degrees (PhD, EdS, EdD, MEd, MAE)
• Employee Reductions
  • 5 faculty/ 3 staff (1 nonrenewal/ 2 layoffs)

College of Engineering $2,920,662

• Employee Reductions
  • 1 faculty/ 3 staff (0 layoffs)

Florida Center for Library Automation $775,801

• Employee Reductions
  • 2 faculty (0 layoffs)

College of Fine Arts $581,403

• Employee Reductions
  • 1 faculty/ 5 staff (0 layoffs/ 4 layoffs)

Florida Museum of Natural History $469,297

• Employee Reductions
  • 0 faculty/ 4 staff (2 layoffs)

Harn Museum of Art $76,998

• 0 faculty/ 2 staff (2 layoffs)

College of Health and Human Performance $173,171

• Program Reductions
  • Close Scuba instructional program
  • Reduce Living Well Administrative Program
• Employee Reductions
  • 1 faculty/ 2 staff (1 layoff/ 2 layoffs)

Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences $7,723,257

• Operating Budget Reductions
  • College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
  • Florida Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Florida Cooperative Extension Service
  • Reduction in Graduate Student Support
• Reorganization of Central Communication Units
  • IFAS Information Technology
  • IFAS Communication Services
  • IFAS External and Media Relations
• Employee Reductions
  • 21 faculty/61 staff (0 layoffs/ 23 layoffs)

College of Journalism and Communications $432,769

• Program Reductions
  • Closure of Documentary Institute and master’s specialization in documentary film
• Employee Reductions
  • 5 faculty (5 layoffs)

Center for Latin American Studies $35,000

Levin College of Law $955,000

• Employee Reductions
  • 2 faculty/ 0 staff (0 layoffs)

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences $3,836,875

• Program Reduction
  • Transfer of Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders into PHHP, where it merges with Department of Communicative Disorders
• Employee Reductions
  • 33 faculty/ 8 staff (2 nonrenewals/ 0 layoffs)

College of Medicine $1,300,000

College of Nursing $235,156

• Employee Reductions
  • 0.5 faculty/ 1 staff (0 layoffs)

College of Pharmacy $600,000

College of Public Health and Health Professions $1,020,376

• Program Reductions/Actions
  • Merge Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CLAS) with Dept. of Communicative Disorders
  • Close Rehabilitation Counseling Division within the Dept. of Behavioral Science and Community Health. Eliminate Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling
• Employee Reductions
  • 4 faculty/ 3 staff (3 layoffs/ 3 layoffs)

College of Veterinary Medicine $150,000

University Libraries $642,296

• Employee Reductions
  • 5 faculty/ 1 staff (no layoffs)

University Press of Florida $25,000

Whitney Laboratory for Marine Science $39,294

Administrative Units

Vice President-General Counsel $66,500

Graduate School $31,743

International Center $84,356

Office of the Provost $563,618

• Employee Reductions
  • 4 staff (3 layoffs)

Senior Vice President – Health Science Center $400,000

• Employee Reductions
  • 2 staff (0 layoffs)

Vice President for Research $235,464

Vice President for Student Affairs $520,000

• Program Actions
  • Merger of Student Mental Health with Counseling Center

Vice President for University Relations $100,000

• Employee Reductions
  • 1 staff (0 layoffs)

Office of Audit and Compliance Review $45,000

• Employee Reductions
  • 0 faculty, 0.5 staff positions (0 layoffs)

Vice President Business Affairs $1,171,400

• Service Reductions and Eliminations:
  • Physical Plant, Planning and Constructions Management, Mail Services, Environmental Health and Safety, University Police Department
• Employee Reductions
  • 0 faculty, 7 staff positions (0 layoffs)

Vice President Chief Financial Officer $600,000

• Service Reductions and Eliminations:
  • Finance and Accounting, other
• Employee Reductions
  • 0 faculty, 18.5 staff (8.5 layoffs)

Vice President Human Resource Services $180,434

• Service Reductions and Eliminations:
  • Eliminate or reduce certain training; outsource services
• Employee Reductions
  • 0 faculty, 3 staff (0 layoffs)

Office of Information Technology $900,000

• Service Reductions and Eliminations:
  • Eliminate or reduce IT help; reduce expenses
• Employee Reductions
  • 0 faculty, 5 staff (0 layoffs)

Administrative and Universitywide Reductions

Estimated potential total: $8,000,000

Currently assessing several administrative and university-wide initiatives, including, for example, potential changes to pay-outs for vacation or sick leave upon separation from the university. The timing and specifics of these initiatives is to be determined.

Additional Unit-specific or Other Reductions

To be determined: $3,600,000

No faculty positions were eliminated and college officials said the cuts will not affect students’ classes. About 30 of the positions were currently staffed and employees were told Monday their jobs were eliminated. Their last day of work will be June 30, spokeswoman Andrea Jones said. Continue reading…

Machen outlined his upcoming budget to the Faculty Senate. He’ll meet next week with university trustees before releasing specifics about program cuts and layoffs, but said they would be less extreme than previous worst-case scenarios. Continue reading…

View the accompanying PowerPoint presentation.

Legislators capped the scholarship program at this year’s tuition levels, despite an 8 percent tuition increase at community colleges next year and as much as 15 percent at the 11 state universities. The cap will save the state nearly $35 million, which scholarship recipients - meaning their parents - will have to pay. The decision to not cover the tuition hike was followed by the resignation of Bright Futures’ sponsor and fiercest supporter, Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie. These developments signal even bigger changes ahead, changes that are long overdue. Continue reading…

“Technology is driving much of this process, and the fields and the skills they teach are becoming increasingly important to everything we do. This recognition has resulted in the merger of communication and information programs around the world. Continue reading…

That’s because state lawmakers reduced direct state funding by $207 million and filled most of the gap with $159 million in federal economic stimulus money that will go away in two years. Continue reading…

State analysts have warned as much for years, but the Sunshine State’s gloomy economy is now forcing lawmakers to concede a politically incorrect reality: Bright Futures, the merit-based scholarship that has helped send more than one million students to public college in Florida, needs an overhaul.

The fix is likely to mean smaller scholarships that don’t cover rising tuition bills at Florida colleges and universities, a change that could affect tens of thousands of families trying to budget for college during this historic economic downturn. Continue reading…

The proposed state budget makes $49 million in cuts to UF’s funding but uses federal stimulus money to make up for the shortfall. Because the stimulus money runs out in two years, UF officials still plan to make cuts that could mean layoffs and program eliminations.

“The stabilization money is meant to be a bridge across this economic crisis,” UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said. “We just don’t know what’s at the end of the bridge.” Continue reading…

The Legislature’s budget, expected to be approved later this week, includes about $246 million for FAU, down from $256 million a year ago, said Ken Jessell, FAU’s vice president for finance.

But after taking out money that is already earmarked for specific uses, such as increases in health premiums, FAU is actually suffering a cut of about $16.7 million, Jessell said. FAU had estimated a cut of $17.4 million. But officials also feared a proposal from the House of Representatives that would have sliced FAU’s budget by $28.5 million. Continue reading…

Under the deal completed Monday, Bright Futures will for the first time not cover the full cost of going to college, lawmakers say. Instead, the size of the award will stay flat even as college tuition will increase up to 15 percent at state universities. Continue reading…

The last-minute revelation this week that Bright Futures may not cover any of the 15 percent tuition increase expected at most state universities this fall means some 150,000 college students have little warning their scholarships will not go as far as expected. That’s unfair. Lawmakers have known for years that Bright Futures was a fiscal drain on the state and did nothing to address it. In the coming week, they should find the money to cover the base tuition increase of 8 percent and then plan to tackle a complete overhaul next year. Continue reading…

Colleges have dismissed athletic staff, reduced hours for pools and practice courts, and increased equipment and facility fees. Some have also cut the size of their travel squads, eliminated trips requiring air travel and done away with housing teams in hotels the night before home games. Continue reading…

In fact, the Orlando native who also takes advantage of the Florida Prepaid program may have to leave Tallahassee altogether. Continue reading…

Tuition, now among the lowest in the nation, could eventually rise to the national average under the bill. The measure now goes to Gov. Charlie Crist, who is expected to sign it.

UF Provost Joe Glover said the university was likely to seek the maximum increase allowed in the short term. He said the passage of the bill was good news, but doesn’t solve the current budget crisis. Continue reading…