Tuesday, January 26, 2010
www.msureporter.com
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Administration
ponders program cuts Aviation, journalism on the list of programs facing elimination
NICOLE SMITH & DANNIE HIGGINBOTHAM
editor in chief / news editor
index
Drastic changes are already in the works at Minnesota State in an effort to curb the $6-10 million projected deficit the university faces for 2012. On Thursday, MSU announced the programs that were slated for potential elimination due to low enrollment levels and credit hours. Computer science, aviation and undergraduate music programs are among the many that have been placed into this category based on six different cost- and enrollment-related criteria. Dozens of other programs will likely see various budget and staff reductions. MSU has already instituted an early retirement program that 20 faculty members have taken advantage of, shaving an estimated $1.8 million off the deficit. Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Scott Olson said administration will look to cut at least $4 million more, a figure that he said equates to roughly 40-50 faculty positions. Rather than make general cuts across the board, Olson said MSU has implemented the program metric guidelines to be more strategic. “We certainly don’t want to be in this situation but we don’t have a choice about that, so the question is how do we respond to it?” said Olson. “The reason for the approach that we are taking is to ultimately minimize the effect on students and the future quality of the institution.” To do that, Olson said the program evaluation plan was established to concentrate the cuts in areas that have the fewest students in them, with the highest costs. These projections were based strictly on quantitative Editorial...................................6 Voices......................................7 Variety....................................11 Sports....................................15 Classifieds.............................19
data and don’t necessarily determine what programs will actually be cut. Programs slated to be cut will be able to make their case for their viability on the basis of how well they support the mission of the university, their quality (such as visibility, outplacement of students and recognition) and employability (placement rates and employment data). MSU administration anticipates and encourages all programs likely to see budget cuts or elimination to submit their case for administration to review by the Feb. 5 deadline, according to Olson and Associate Vice
Cuts / page 8 • MSU faces a $6-10 million projected deficit for 2012. In an effort to combat this, administration is reviewing programs for potential elimination or budget reduction. • More than 15 programs have been targeted as likely to be eliminated based on enrollment levels and costs. Dozens more could see substantial budgetary and staffing cuts. • Programs and departments have been given the opportunity to make their cases to administration in an effort to prevent elimination and curb cuts in their areas. These cases will consider qualitative aspects of the programs, including quality and employability and are due Feb. 5.
Monday night classes canceled due to poor weather conditions dan moen • msu reporter Only a few students could be found outside the Centennial Student Union around 5 p.m. Monday due to night class cancellations. Blowing snow and high winds caused Minnesota State and much of the surrounding area to close down or cancel events.
Seeking high honors MSU hopes to bring back honors program GRACE WEBB
staff writer
After three years of intensive planning, Minnesota State is within inches of offering a special honors program to students. A pilot group of students are on board and a curriculum proposal will be submitted to the undergraduate committee within a week. MSU has had a long history of honors programs that were designed to offer challenging curriculum and amazing experiences to students who were willing to push themselves a little bit harder than normal. In fact, Mankato has had an on-again-offagain honors program since the 1970s, but it has been redesigned three times in the last 40 years, not counting this new reorganization. The university knew it needed to reorganize the program three years ago because the number of honors applicants had been steadily dropping. Not even presidential scholarship winners seemed interested in being a part of the program. Dr. Anne Blackhurst, supervisor for the honors program, stated that one big problem with the old program was that it did not have a universal focus or plan. As a result, the program would end up focusing on its faculty member’s area of expertise. “It was the university’s failure,” said Blackhurst, “a lack of broader vision for the program as a whole.”
wale agboola • msu reporter Chris Corley is the new, full-time honors director.
Now, however, faculty, administration and students have been working hard to come up with a comprehensive plan for the honors program. Dr. Brenda Flannery, a key supporter of the new program, spoke about how exciting it was to collaborate with student focus groups, alumni and faculty in meetings, brainstorming sessions and more. She attended the 2007 National Collegiate Honors Conference to see what worked best in other honors programs, bringing back dozens of ideas. The university is now focused on what it can offer students, what industries are looking for in graduates and how to design a challenging, interdisciplinary curriculum that appeals to students regardless of their majors.
Honors / page 4
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