2008 Woodie Awards
President talks staff cuts amid university, state budget crisis
Matthew Richardson
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: News
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President James H. Ammons held a student forum at Lee Hall on Friday, Feb. 1 where he announced that due to a $4million dollar budget cut, the university will undergo significant change, which include staffing reductions.
"With the cuts that we have taken with the one percent per quarter reduction, we have essentially done away with all of the vacant positions in the University, so we cannot manage these additional cuts by using vacant positions," Ammons said. "So now what we're looking at as all of these other cuts come about, we're going to have to layoff faculty and staff."
Ammons also announced the possibility that very few courses would be offered during the summer term. There would also be larger class sizes, not as many courses and sections to choose from. Faculty and staff numbers will also decline.
"If you all have seen and heard as you watched the news and read the newspaper, the state of Florida is in a financial crisis." Ammons said. "The fiscal situation here in the state of Florida is as bad as I can remember and I was born here in the state of Florida, spent all my life here except the six I spent in North Carolina. It's bad."
The state of Florida has the lowest tuition rates and the worst student/teacher ratio in the nation. The budget crisis was discussed at the Board of Governors meeting in December.
"What we have seen over the last few months is that every source of revenue for the state of Florida, all of the tax revenues, all of the collections are down again this year and the economic forecasters believe that we're going to have this kind of situation next year and maybe the year after next," Ammons said.
Ammons said the severed financial allotments are not only plaguing the university.
"The budget for the state of Florida right now, based on those projections, will experience a $1 billion short fall," Ammons said. "It takes a billion dollars to operate the state of Florida at the level that we're operating today. We have already absorbed a four percent cut, which meant for Florida A&M $4 million from our state budget. That happened in July. July 1, 2007 was the beginning of the fiscal year and we had to reduce our budget."
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
William Knowles
posted 2/04/08 @ 3:11 PM EST
4 Feb 08
Is it possible that if funds generated by the Florida Lottery had been used as promised we would not now face the financial cutbacks? State legislators repeatedly raid the Lottery for their own pork barrel projects or for reasons other than helping to provide top quality education in our State. (Continued…)
shaadp
posted 2/05/08 @ 12:32 AM EST
once again, this nation is reeling from the poor oversight and management of the republican party. unnecessary tax cuts, putting more money into war and the defense department than we ever will education. (Continued…)
Carter Brown
posted 2/05/08 @ 5:16 PM EST
Only the fittest of the fittest will survive. Its far too late to say anything about republican leadership or of the war, even though both points are relevant. (Continued…)
Ivy Johnson
posted 2/06/08 @ 12:45 PM EST
What about all the students who planned on graduating this summer? It seems to me that FAMU has failed them again. FAMU should have decided enough in advance that they may cut summer classes so students could make other adjustments such as took more classes last Fall and this Spring to meet their grad requirements. (Continued…)
AP
posted 2/14/08 @ 12:22 PM EST
I just knew someone was going to blame it all on FAMU,
"It seems to me that FAMU has failed them again. FAMU should have decided enough in advance that they may cut summer classes so students could make other adjustments such as took more classes last Fall and this Spring to meet their grad requirements. (Continued…)
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