2008 Woodie Awards
Budget slashes threaten courses
Plattsburgh State could lose $1.3 million, drop some adjunct faculty
Benjamin Pomerance
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
Originally published: 10/9/08 at 5:52 PM EST
Last update: 10/10/08 at 7:28 AM EST
The bad news will come within 30 days.
Its ramifications may take several years to overcome.
It could increase class size, decrease course offerings, prevent equipment purchases, and eliminate adjunct faculty positions.
And experts don't believe it's going away anytime soon.
Within that 30-day period, Plattsburgh State officials will learn how much they will have to absorb of SUNY's $91.3 million budget decrease, the result of across-the-board tightening in the New York State budget.
The math, according to PSUC Vice President for Business Affairs John Homburger, probably won't be pretty.
"It does seem evident that a tighter budget is coming," Homburger said. "And as a college, we will have to account for that."
PSUC's share of the cut could be as high as $1.3 million, Homburger said, and departments across campus will carry a share of the burden.
"It will not be an equal cut," Homburger said. "Some departments and programs will cut more than others. At this juncture, we're trying to identify the core of the operating expenses in our department and programs, the essentials that we don't want to cut unless we absolutely have to."
Throughout PSUC, budget-planning administrators are already preparing to tighten their belts.
PSUC deans have already been in contact with their department chairs to initiate planning for this problem, an issue David Hill, dean of education, health and human services, said deserves immediate attention.
"You don't need to panic, because we haven't even received an exact figure yet," Hill said. "But you do want to start planning now, because the worst thing that could happen is to be completely unprepared if a stiff budget cut comes."
Hill said he has told department chairs that open faculty positions - including one in nursing and one in special education - may not be filled immediately due to budget constraints.
The vacant positions may have to be temporarily filled by adjunct faculty, Hill said, putting him on the receiving end of a double-edged sword.
Its ramifications may take several years to overcome.
It could increase class size, decrease course offerings, prevent equipment purchases, and eliminate adjunct faculty positions.
And experts don't believe it's going away anytime soon.
Within that 30-day period, Plattsburgh State officials will learn how much they will have to absorb of SUNY's $91.3 million budget decrease, the result of across-the-board tightening in the New York State budget.
The math, according to PSUC Vice President for Business Affairs John Homburger, probably won't be pretty.
"It does seem evident that a tighter budget is coming," Homburger said. "And as a college, we will have to account for that."
PSUC's share of the cut could be as high as $1.3 million, Homburger said, and departments across campus will carry a share of the burden.
"It will not be an equal cut," Homburger said. "Some departments and programs will cut more than others. At this juncture, we're trying to identify the core of the operating expenses in our department and programs, the essentials that we don't want to cut unless we absolutely have to."
Throughout PSUC, budget-planning administrators are already preparing to tighten their belts.
PSUC deans have already been in contact with their department chairs to initiate planning for this problem, an issue David Hill, dean of education, health and human services, said deserves immediate attention.
"You don't need to panic, because we haven't even received an exact figure yet," Hill said. "But you do want to start planning now, because the worst thing that could happen is to be completely unprepared if a stiff budget cut comes."
Hill said he has told department chairs that open faculty positions - including one in nursing and one in special education - may not be filled immediately due to budget constraints.
The vacant positions may have to be temporarily filled by adjunct faculty, Hill said, putting him on the receiving end of a double-edged sword.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
David Curry
posted 10/10/08 @ 8:12 AM EST
I wholeheartedly agree with Foreign Languages and Literature Chair Jean Ouedraogo, "SUNY is the Solution" - this is the message we must carry to our legislators, as well as family and friends. (Continued…)
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