Question

In recent years, public universities have experienced major budget cuts due to reduced funding from their state governments. These budget cuts usually occur at the most inopportune time—during the school year when contractual commitments with faculty and staff had been signed, programs had been planned, and students were enrolled and taking classes.

Required:

1. Should the administration be “fair” to all affected and institute across-the-board cuts whenever the state announces a reduction in funding?
2. If not across-the-board cutbacks in programs, then would you recommend more focused reductions, and if so, what priorities would you establish for bringing spending in line with revenues?
3. Since these usually are not one-time-only cutbacks, how would you manage continuous, long-term reductions in budgets extending over a period of years?
4. Should the decision-making process be top-down (centralized with top administrators) or bottom-up (participative)? Why?
5. How should issues such as protect-your-turf mentality, resistance to change, and consensus building be dealt with?

Answer 1

yes, administration should be fair to all affected and institute across-the-board cuts at the time when state announces reduction in public funding as it is important to recognize that these cuts comes at the most inopportune time of the school year when contractual commitments with faculty and staff has been signed,programs has been planned, and students were enrolled and taking classes as it would hurt the operations of the universities and can cause harm to education which is not less than any sin.

if not across the board cuts then these should be made to those areas where it would be most beneficial for the university like cuts on faculty and staff,planned programs should be taken care , unncecessary expenses like lengthy administrative expenses can be reduced

there should be pre planned decisions where long term planning and distribution of cuts should be made in a budget as these cuts are not single term.

the decision making process should be bottom up as untill the system directly involves the people who are affected by this then correct and fair decisions will not be take.

issues like protect your turf mentlty,resistance to change are always present when something happens but it is important to note that untill these are to be taken upon then one cannot grow furthur as someone rightly said that "change is the only constant thing inn this world"