Tentative Dates and Items - Phase Three of the 2009 Budget Reduction Process

To: All University Faculty and Staff
From: Academic Planning Committee (APC)
Date: July 13, 2009
Subject: Tentative Dates and Items - Phase Three of the UNL Budget Reduction Process

The Academic Planning Committee recently published a follow-up to Chancellor Perlman's recommended budget reductions (2009budget/) using campus-wide communication channels. In that notice, we said the task of the APC is to review the Chancellor's proposed cuts in light of their probable impact on the university's academic mission and approve them or suggest other ways of meeting the budget reduction goal. Further, two dates were set for hearings where all who may be affected by the proposed reductions could have a voice and contact information was provided for written responses. This notice to the campus is located here: 2009budget/20090701_apcprocedures.shtml.

Budget hearings are scheduled for July 30 and September 18, 2009. The July session will focus primarily on the proposed administrative reductions while the September hearing will focus on those reductions mainly affecting academics. These hearings provide an opportunity for concerns to be voiced publicly. No one is required to attend these hearings and participation and attendance is optional.

The APC requests that, in order to coordinate the hearings schedule, all individuals wishing to respond to the proposals submit a written notice of intent to appear (see instructions below). This notice of intent is nonbinding and an individual or unit that expresses the intent to appear may later decline (Please note that one who does not submit such a notice of intent may still be heard at one of the hearings but will probably have very limited time compared to those who file a notice of intent). Once the quantity of presenters is known, a schedule of times for presentation on each date will be published.

July 30, 2009 APC Budget Hearing Session (Scheduled 2 to 5 p.m. tentatively but will be expanded if necessary)
  • Chancellor's Office (Reduce travel budget; Reduce academic enhancement fund; Eliminate position)
  • Chancellor's Office - Direct Reports:
    • University Communications (Eliminate positions; Change of printing vendor for the Scarlet-Both completed)
    • Equity, Access and Diversity (Eliminate position)
    • Faculty Senate (Eliminate position; Cut operating budget)
  • Student Affairs
    • Vice Chancellor's Office (Reduce operating budget)
    • Career Services (Eliminate student workers; Eliminate operating budget; Reduce positions)
    • Registration and Records (Eliminate open position)
    • Nebraska Unions (Reduce operating budget)
  • Business and Finance
    • Business and Finance Cluster
    • Canfield Reorganization
    • Merge Leadership of City Campus and IANR Payroll Offices
  • Academic Affairs
    • Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (SVCAA) Office (Eliminate vacant lines)
    • Architecture (Community and Regional Planning Program reorganization w/ Landscape Architecture Program) (Staff and administrative duties reorganization)
    • Arts and Sciences (ESL ONLY) (Eliminate support for English as a Second Language)
    • Fine and Performing Arts (School of Music and Mary Riepma Ross Theater ONLY) (School of Music -Instrument repair staff reorganization and eliminate position; Mary Riepma Ross Theater-Eliminate state funds)
    • Universities Libraries (Business Operation ONLY) (Decrease staffing)
    • Public Policy (Eliminate state funding)
    • Extended Education and Outreach (Eliminate funding of the Norfolk Learning Center; Eliminate funding for Academic Conferences)
    • Information Services (Staff reorganization; Reduction in operating budget, including elimination of certain software)
    • Education and Human Sciences (Deans Office-Nebraska Human Resources Institute; Deans Office-OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute); Special Ed and Communication Disorders; Nutrition and Health Sciences ONLY) (Deans Office-Eliminate Nebraska Human Resources Institute, Reduce state support for OLLI staff person; Special Ed and Communications Disorders-Cut in operating budget; Nutrition and Health Sciences-Decrease operating)
    • NET (Eliminate state funding for closed circuit television - CCTV)
  • IANR
    • IANR Administration (Eliminate administrative position)
    • Nebraska Forest Service (Eliminate some state support)
    • Nebraska Statewide Arboretum (Eliminate all state support)
    • Communications and Information Technology (Eliminate portion of staff position)
    • Extended Education and Outreach (Eliminate funding of the Norfolk Learning Center)

September 18, 2009 APC Budget Hearing Session (Scheduled 1 to 5 p.m. tentatively but will be expanded if necessary)
  • Academic Affairs
    • Arts and Sciences (Reduce faculty administrative stipends for Asian Studies, African American Studies, Latino and Latin American Studies, and Native American Studies Coordinators; Reorganization and program cuts; Eliminate Speech Workshop support; and Eliminate support for Junior Mathematics Prognosis (JUMP) program)
    • College of Business Administration (Agribusiness program-Eliminate half-time Coordinator position and reduce Graduate Assistantship support; Elimination of vacant line)
    • College of Engineering (Dean's Office-Reduce support; Reduce staff support for combined ME, IMSE, EM (Mechanical Engineering, Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, Engineering Mechanics) departments)
    • Fine and Performing Arts (Eliminate part-time clerical support for Dance program)
    • Law (Eliminate vacant faculty Line)
    • Universities Libraries (Decrease staffing in Technical Services)
    • Education and Human Sciences (Elimination of Educational Administration Gerontology program; Reduce budgets for adjunct and part-time faculty in Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education; Reduce operating funds and student workers in Educational Psychology Department; and reduce clerical help in main office and reduce FCS education faculty line in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies)
  • IANR
    • ARD Technical Support (Reduce technical funding support to ARD scientists by eliminating 25% of ARD state funding for Research Technicians and Technologists)

PLEASE NOTE, this proposed schedule is not restrictive and those who wish to appear at an earlier or later meeting should petition the APC in writing.

The written notice of intent to appear must identify the meeting at which the party prefers to appear, the specific budget reduction(s) that will be discussed, the name of the presenter, and contact information for the presenter. The notice of intent should be sent to the Academic Planning Committee, c/o Dr. William Nunez, APC Secretary, 332 Canfield Administration Building, 0435 or wnunez2@unl.edu by 3 p.m., July 20, 2009.

It is the desire of the APC to have a process that is open and inclusive and that also provides ample opportunity for members of the campus community to express their concerns regarding these budget proposals. Therefore, every possible effort will be made to communicate the ongoing actions of the APC to the UNL community as well as to be open and available to those seeking assistance.

Sincerely,

Craig J. Eckhardt
Professor of Chemistry and Chair, Academic Planning Committee