Facing a severe shortfall in general revenue that shows no signs of ending in the near future, FAMU President James Ammons is outlining a new budget reduction plan that might include layoffs. If FAMU sends professors packing, Ammons’ former boss in the University of North Carolina system is ready to take their job applications.Florida Trend reported on the unnerving news that a group of Florida business leaders received when they recently met with UNC President Erskine Bowles to discuss universities as economic engines. According to the magazine:
Bowles strode into the conference room and without much ado told the group that “my office is being flooded with resumes from your best scientists and researchers. We’re going to hire them away from your universities unless you get your act together in Florida. Now, what can I do for you?”
While there has been much media coverage on how budget cuts have driven UF and FSU professors to systems such as UNC, FAMU could become the next big loser.
UNC has five HBCUs: NC Central (which Ammons formerly led), NC A&T, Winston-Salem State, Fayetteville State, and Elizabeth City State.
Bowles has stated that he wants to increase the graduation rate at all those universities. Hiring more high-quality professors is essential to that goal.
A&T, state’s public land-grant HBCU, is in the best position to take FAMU’s top faculty members. It has a large slate of graduate programs and many colleges that parallel FAMU’s own: Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Business and Economics, Technology, Journalism, and Nursing.
If Rattlers want their university to maintain its current level of quality education, they must get involved in the fight to reform the Florida tax system in a manner that provides adequate funding for the State University System.
FAMUans must also urge the university administration to seek creative options to generate new revenue. Tuition hikes aren't helping. They just give the Florida Legislature to political cover to continue slashing the higher ed budget and hurt FAMU's graduation rate.
Pictured: Bowles with NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms.
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FAMU treats its professor so horribly until its no wonder they would want to leave. And are, in fact, leaving. Those on the outside simply have no inkling.
ReplyDeleteCorrection on my ^^^ post:
ReplyDelete"... its professors..."
Doom and gloom monkiez are gonna be all over this one. I have some faith in getting full funding for the SUS. That does hinge on the party shift we forgot we needed once Pres. Obama was elected. Now we Floridians, we know WE NEED TO GET OUR S^*T TOGETHER! Can we get back to "Discovery Starts Here", we're headed for "Recovery Starts Here" as our motto.
ReplyDelete12:24,
ReplyDeleteSo are you suggesting that all FAMU is stuck with are the duds that can't leave, like yourself? LOL
The President in the photo could have been the President of FAMU -- however, he was "urged" to withdraw the night before the vote.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the politics on FAMU's Board of Trustees are still bad today - but they were at their very worst during the 2002 presidential search.
ReplyDelete