October, 2002: Course Forgiveness, Budget Issues, and Health Benefits
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Type your responses to the survey questions in the boxes below.
Click the "submit" button at the bottom of the survey. Thank you.
| Your name and academic area (optional): |
- Question 1 - Course Forgiveness
Background to this question includes:
- A description of the present course forgiveness pilot
project.
- A report from Acting Registrar Barbara Todd and Director of
Institutional Analysis Lou McClelland of data
collected from the first two semesters of the pilot project.
(BFA Executive Committee minutes, August 26, 2002.)
- Minutes
and reports on the subject of course forgiveness from the
BFA Academic Affairs Committee's discussion.
- Question 2 - Budget Cuts
Economists in the Office of State Planning and Budget recently
projected that the State of Colorado will realize a tax revenue
shortfall of approximately $600,000,000 compared to the state's
budgeted expenditures for the current fiscal year. Although we
do not expect to hear officially about what portion of these reductions
will be assessed to the Boulder campus, the administration is
estimating our cuts to be approximately $11 million. These cuts
are expected to be continuing reductions to our budget.
The administration expects the campus will need to reduce its
current expenditures on a continuing basis by approximately $6
million to $8 million. These reductions will need to be identified
over the next 60 days although the cuts themselves may not be
implemented until some time later this year.
Considering the magnitude of these cuts we would like to provide
some input to the administration about what priorities should
be considered as these cuts are identified. Please provide your
opinions below.
- Question 3 - Health Benefits
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below and click "submit." If you do not have access to software that
will allow you to complete the form on-line, you may participate by
sending e-mail to qotm@spot.colorado.edu.
All written comments will be posted on the BFA website unless confidentiality
is requested.
Thank you.
Uriel Nauenberg, Chair
Boulder Faculty Assembly
Question 1: Course Forgiveness
A) Are you in favor of the proposed course forgiveness policy for
the Boulder Campus? Click here
to review information on the pilot project.
B) If no, under what conditions would you approve a policy for course
forgiveness?
Question 2: Budget Cuts
A) In general, budget cuts should be applied:
- equally across-the-board
- to targeted areas of the campus; based on critical importance
to campus operations and qualitative and financial importance to
the future of the institution's basic mission and strategic goals
- a mix of across-the-board and targeted cuts
B) For each of the areas below, please indicate if the administration
should consider reductions based on that area:
H = to a high degree
M = to a moderate degree
L = to a low degree
("H" means the administration should consider targeting that
area for larger than average reductions.)
You will have an opportunity to enter your own suggestions for
areas in which cuts could be made in the next section of this question.
The areas where values are ascribed are the only areas for which information
was available.
| AREAS or ACTIONS: |
DEGREE
(H, M, L): |
University contributions to faculty and professional
exempt benefits
(Classified staff contributions are
state mandated.)
A 1% reduction would save $344,000. |
|
New faculty positions
Freeze would save up to $6 million. |
|
Start-up packages (associated with hiring
freeze)
Freeze would save up to $5 million. |
|
Salary raises for faculty
A 1% reduction would save $1,135,000. |
|
Faculty sabbaticals and fellowships (1 semester
at full pay)
Elimination would save $600,000 to $1.2 million.
|
|
| Staff support positions |
|
|
Salary raises for staff support
(This would involve cutting positions because
classified increases are mandated by the state.)
A 1% reduction would save $542,000.
|
|
Salary stipends for chairs, associate chairs
and directors
Elimination would save about $1 million. |
|
Administrative (including professional exempt)
salaries
A 1% reduction would save $173,000.
|
|
| Research centers |
|
Academic programs
(cutting and/or consolidating) |
|
| Aggressive early retirement program |
|
Travel and operating budgets
A 1% reduction would save $589,700. |
|
| Vacant faculty lines |
|
| Shift resources from vacant faculty lines
to instructors and graduate students |
|
|
Reduce the number and variety of course offerings
(placing greater teaching emphasis on core offerings)
By eliminating 10% of graduate lectures and seminars, $450,000
can be saved.
|
|
| Increase teaching loads |
|
| Administrative positions |
|
| Support of athletic scholarships |
|
Institutional financial aid
(Undergraduate and graduate aid.)
A 1% reduction would save $92,000.
|
|
Support for library materials
A 1% reduction would save $95,000. |
|
| Support for library operations |
|
| Campus infrastructure services |
|
| Student support services |
|
C) Suggestions are requested for additional areas in which UCB's
budget
could or should not be cut. Please state
whether the item could or should not be
cut, and use the same ranking method:
H = to a high degree
M = to a moderate degree
L = to a low degree
Please enter your suggestions here.
Question 3: Health Benefits
A) Do you favor moving money from the salary pool to benefits, and
why?
|
