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AJC.com > Legislature > Blog > Archives > 2009 > March > 02 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USUniversity system could furlough, raise tuition
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University System Chancellor Erroll Davis set Capitol tongues a wagging in January when he told a House-Senate budget committee that he was “philosophically opposed” to furloughing employees.
Legislators were irate. After all, lawmakers were facing more than $2 billion in spending cuts and 25,000 state employees either have or will have to take days off without pay in coming months.
Davis realized that “philosophically opposed” wasn’t what legislators wanted to hear, so Monday he told a House budget panel, “That was probably a bad choice of words.”
He said furloughs are possible in the 40,000-employee University System if it has to make fast, deep spending cuts. Davis also is letting schools decide how they will cut spending, and presidents on those campuses may decide to furlough employees.
One of Davis’ problems is that about a fourth of the system’s employees are professors and others on contracts. Those contracts say nothing about furloughs. However, the subcommittee’s chairman, Rep. Bob Smith (R-Watkinsville), said that employees with a contract could be furloughed if the state essentially declares a fiscal emergency.
Davis said that could damage the state’s ability to recruit top professors. However, he said in the future, professor contracts will have “more flexibility.” He didn’t say whether that means the possibility of furloughs will be included.
The system has had to cut spending about 10 percent because of the recession, but few of the 40,000 employees have lost their jobs. Davis said 62 system workers have been laid off so far this fiscal year, which began last July 1. In the coming year, he said, “I expect that number will go higher.”
Students will also likely have to pay more in the coming year to attend University System schools.
“I don’t see any way tuition is probably not going to go up,” Davis told the subcommittee.
Permalink | Comments (23) | Post your comment | Categories: Legislature
Comments
By Geno
March 3, 2009 8:23 AM | Link to this
Hope the Chancellor looks someplace other than the teachers and the people who keep the system running. Each college and university has many many offices, directorates, and groups that can be cut and nobody will miss them. Yes, I know there are some grants from the Industrial world and we need to keep them. But remember, the professors are paid by the state to use these grants. Inspect closely and prune the deadwood in these activities before starting to cut at the teachers and essential admin/maintenance people.
By Richard
March 3, 2009 8:39 AM | Link to this
Interesting to see comments -no plans for layoffs not in their contracts -too difficult to replace. Welcome to 2009 5 million people have lost jobs around America. business contraction by 10-15% lost revenue = cut expenses = employee reduction. Do not flatter yourself into thinking unable to get people if and when demand ever resumes. Have they thought about reduced education loans now available? Have they wondered in our state with 9% unemployment reduced demand and ability to pay for education? . Look at State and face reality .
Probable need to reduce headcount in University system by 2,000 minimum with no effect on the product you peddle : Education and Creation of hope for the future as the present is bleak as all hell but to have realistic budget must control expenses. This is not the myopic world of the federal government with its fantasy forecast for the future.
By Reason
March 3, 2009 8:57 AM | Link to this
It’s funny, because I just finished the article saying that Obama wants to make it more possible for people to go to college. So, more students with less support. That makes a ton of sense.
By anonymous
March 3, 2009 9:01 AM | Link to this
I’m a professor at Georgia Tech. For every $1 the taxpayers pay me and my colleagues, we raise an additional $2 more dollars in grants and private contracting money for the university. This is because the university automatically gets just over half of any grant money we raise. So we are actually a “profit” center for the school. Hence the state loses more money than it saves when it furloughs or fires us…a bad economic idea.
By Rachel
March 3, 2009 9:04 AM | Link to this
Education loans are made by the Federal government, not state; this is the only way many students can get their education. Raised tuition will only hurt those trying to complete their degree; freshman are locked into a certain rate. Chancellor, please lay off the building of non-educational buildings on the campuses. Millions and millions of dollars are wasted on these each year.
By ConstructionWorker
March 3, 2009 9:05 AM | Link to this
They could lay off half the employees at most of these universities and you wouldn’t know the difference. Most are deadwood, just collecting paychecks. A lot of stuff they teach there anyway is just liberal BS.
By nice
March 3, 2009 9:10 AM | Link to this
why don’t they start with furloughing themselves.
By Bob
March 3, 2009 9:21 AM | Link to this
Job losses have occurred because fewer people are spending money on things like cars, floor covering, and furniture. Hopefully when business picks back up many of these jobs can be recovered, but a lot of these occupations are lost forever.
One place where there is even more consumer demand in an economic downturn is in education. More folks realize that a better education, be it in academia or in a “trade school”, is going to be even more important going forward. With increased demand, come more need for highly trained educators.
I’m not a college professor, but I do have advanced degrees and it seems to me that we need to at least keep our current investments in education. That being said, there are lot of what I call “indoctrination” classes most college and universities. When it comes to preparing students for the “real world”, these “courses” offer very little educational advantage
Maybe now is the right time to re-direct some funds from social programs to more practical pursuits.
By Gene
March 3, 2009 9:21 AM | Link to this
Please start the furloughs by sending Michael Adams to his villa in Italy.
By Reason
March 3, 2009 9:30 AM | Link to this
Rachel- What would you have students do while they are on campus if there are only educational buildings? Where would the parking office be located? Where would they eat? What non-educational buildings would you propose to stop building?
By The Voice
March 3, 2009 9:43 AM | Link to this
Reason @0857 hours….Obama wants everything that he can buy with your and my money. But oh well what is another steak dinner at the WH when they paid $100 lb for the steak….yeah thats really identifying with the common family.
By Cougar
March 3, 2009 9:46 AM | Link to this
What most don’t realize is that higher education is one of the only “businesses” that prosper during hard economic times. When people lose their jobs they go back to college to earn a degree to make themselves more marketable in an unstable job market. The University system has increased it’s enrollment substantially over the last few years - earning the state more money - not costing the state. If you cut jobs or furlough within the University system what do you think will happen with all these students? Please use some logic in your theories. The Chancellor did not say he would NOT furlough, only that he thinks it is a short term fix - a band-aid rather than a long term solution. The economic situation stinks for EVERYONE. USG employees have had to pay more for their health insurance premiums and overall that has been equal to furlough days. All travel has been cut. The USG is tightening its belt - just with long term solutions.
By Been to college
March 3, 2009 9:46 AM | Link to this
@ConstructionWorker:
“…A lot of stuff they teach there anyway is just liberal BS.”
Spoken like someone who has never went to college. Tell me: which talk radio host do you get your ideas & opinions from? I understand; forming an original idea takes a lot of thought!
By No Name
March 3, 2009 9:50 AM | Link to this
How about the legislators take a pay cut? And worthless mayors like Shirl-F?
By Underfunded
March 3, 2009 10:09 AM | Link to this
Furloughing pay is an ineffective quick fix and not a long term solution. Our state’s higher ed system (better yet, the whole education system) is underfunded as it is!
GA legislators’ persistence on higher ed furloughs has nothing to do with money. This is about control.
By Dr. Phil
March 3, 2009 10:24 AM | Link to this
One important thing that administrators and legislators do not understand is, the whole purpose of education revolves around the classroom and the interaction between professors and students. Everything that takes place on a campus should support this interaction. Some important people have this relationship backward—that is, teachers and students exist to support administrators and their inflated pay checks. At last count, the presidents of UGA, GA State, and GA Tech were in the top 10 presidents of public institutions in the country in total compensation, some of which is disguised as housing and other monetary benefits. Michael Adams was pulling in nearly a million dollars a year. The Chancellor of the BOR is making at least that much in total compensation. There are many VP’s and BOR administrators making in excess of $200,000, yet the legislature wants to furlough low level administrators, instructors, and assistant professors making far less. There is certainly dead weight in the university system, but not in the teaching corps. Cut the pay of the fat cats, and keep the teachers. One thing about teachers is we tend to vote, and we are taking names and making notes.
By Richard
March 3, 2009 10:28 AM | Link to this
Federal loan availabilty has been reduced until just recently by the same lending practices in the sub prime mortgage concept. Loan Options have been reduced by 40% or more for students trying get into colleges at the same time competing with students from other countries that come to our schools with 100%backed loans and or grants from their countries.
These foreign students are also better prepared at the secondary level as they go to school to learn while the American public schools have deteriated with behavior problems to not even rank in the top 10 worldwide education systems. Without strong education , our young generation will not be able to compete with China, Japan, India and other high IQ countries.
To continue to consider raising tuitions only hurts the pool for American applicants. We need to provide meaningful job education and career choices to reflect the reality that 85% of future American jobs requiring college degrees will be in Healthcare, Information Technology and Education.
The colleges need to reassess their course offering s and jettison non rele. vant courses and with them also teach fiscal responsiblity by balancing income with outgo. Our state needs something to be proud of besides of the Ga lottery.
By INSIDE MAN
March 3, 2009 10:54 AM | Link to this
Seriously- There is a lot of waste in the university system…Especially, frivilous travel, training and technology purchases. With recent scrutnity this has started to wane but an audit of the IT departments of the big five State universities will reveal the same wasteful spending on consultants, redundant services and technology purchases… Also, State laws restricting carrying funds from one fiscal year to another forces state agencies to make last minute purchasing decision. These last minute purchases often sit in a storage room because overworked staffers dont have time to install the equipment.
And stop buying all of MiDtown and Downtown Atlanta for Ga TECH and GA STate University, respectively.
By Chardonnay Nicole Thomas
March 3, 2009 11:02 AM | Link to this
Its simple-if they are undoubtedly going to raise tuition, fine, just allow students to be eligible for munch more money where student loans come in. And the Hope Scholarship should not have to depend on how high your GPA is; any student who wants to attend college, as long as they are not completely failing, should be eligible for the Hope Scholarship. I will be so glad when I graduate next year, I am so sick of Georgia period.
By Chuck
March 3, 2009 11:25 AM | Link to this
According to national data 35% of the college students do not belong there due to poor grades etc. The three degrees now mean Bull ——, MS More of the same & PhD piled higher and deeper. If education is needed for all try reversing the name of community colleges to Junior Colleges .
By The Voice
March 3, 2009 11:31 AM | Link to this
Chardonnay….let me get this straight. You are going to school on the Hope Scholorship into which you did not have to pay a dime and you are complaining that it is not enough and that you must maintain a B average? Is that your compaint? I can see that you are well on your way to let the government take care of you as you stand there with your hand out. So you are sick of Ga. Why don’t you leave today. Why wait? Oh yeah you haven’t milked the system for all it is worth yet. Short poll here….anyone that wants Chardonnay to leave today raise your hand.(Entire state raises their hands)
By anon
March 3, 2009 3:13 PM | Link to this
Hey Chardonnay…. In the immortal words of Louis Grizzard: “Delta is ready when you are”.
By From the Inside
March 3, 2009 3:50 PM | Link to this
I’ve worked in the USG for 28+ years. The USG is SO bogged down in politics it is a joke. For example, in Gwinnett county the USG had a fine program for higher education with joint cooperation between several existing colleges. But what does the BOR do. They go in create a NEW institution costing millions of dollars and it is not even accredited yet! With modern high spead communications and computer networking why will the BOR not look seriously into getting rid of a number colleges and pulling those campuses under the governance of other schools? That would eliminate a number of high paid presidents, executive VPs, etc. That would be a great way to save some money. I don’t understand the need for 35 individual institutions within the USG.