Chancellor responds to APC budget recommendations

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Letter from Chancellor Perlman – APC Budget Review
Monday, May 23, 2011

"Colleagues:

In mid-April I proposed a number of budget reductions to address a projected $5 million shortfall in our FY2012 budget. These were submitted to the Academic Planning Committee (APC) who reviewed these recommendations. An open hearing occurred on May 10, 2011.

I want to commend the APC for the care and thoughtful attention they brought to these recommendations. I am sure it was no less difficult for them than it was for me to contemplate reductions of this kind. In the end, the APC has concurred with all but one of my recommendations. They also asked that the campus administration monitor closely the consequences of implementing others. The APC recommendations are posted on the website, http://www.unl.edu/ucomm/chancllr/2011budget/

The following proposed budget reduction item was not supported by the APC:

Academic Affairs, Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts
· Eliminate the Study of Organ in the School of Music and termination of 1.00 FTE pre-tenured faculty member [$68,480]

The APC expressed the concern that organ instruction was at the core of the college’s music program and that the termination of a pretenured faculty member could have an adverse effect on future faculty recruitment. While I believe reasonable people can disagree on how central the study of organ is to our music program and what effect termination of faculty members during budget reductions may have on future faculty recruitment, I nonetheless have decided to defer to the APC’s judgment on the matter. These are very difficult issues and the considered judgment of faculty should be an important aspect of our process. One of the issues associated with this proposed reduction was the costs of maintaining the practice organs necessary for instruction to continue. We have been assured by the College that this cost is manageable within the College’s existing budget. The College of Fine and Performing Arts will propose an alternative reduction in its budget for consideration during the next round of reductions.

Again, I want to thank the members of the APC for their thoughtful evaluation, counsel, and service to the university."

- Harvey

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/un5