Announcement of academic cuts at UNI not likely Wednesday

UPDATE: The official announcement about academic programs cuts at the University of Northern Iowa likely won't happen Wednesday, officials said Wednesday morning.

The news from UNI President Ben Allen and Provost Gloria Gibson about academic cuts and consolidations was expected to be released Wednesday afternoon. But university officials Wednesday said that news probably won't come until perhaps Thursday, as the due process in reducing programs and faculty continues.

UNI faculty leaders have said in recent days that dozens of degree programs are on the chopping block, including in fields such as physics, geography, religion, philosophy and the teaching of English as a second language. But UNI officials say those lists are premature and are not the final word on program cuts and changes.

UNI has lost about $24 million to state budget cuts in recent years, and this year faced a $5 million budget deficit. Allen has said he wants to restructure the university budget to strengthen it for the future.

The plan to close the Malcolm Price Lab School on the UNI campus as part of the cuts, approved last week by the regents, has drawn criticism. The UNI faculty approved motions of no confidence in Allen and Gibson last week.

UNI Faculty Senate leaders on Tuesday denounced the lack “proper consultation and process with

regards to proposed program closures.” Faculty Senate leaders do not condone or endorse any recommendations being made for program closures, and they do not fully understand the criteria or justifications for specific recommendations, Faculty Senate Chairman Jeff Funderburk said in a campus email.

The faculty was first consulted on Feb. 27 regarding the current discussion of cuts, and was provided

information for viewing only, he said. Only after discussion in the senate was it agreed that there would be an additional meeting for discussion, but in the meantime, the senators were not

allowed to consult with colleagues regarding the information that had been shared.

“The administration of UNI has failed to consult in a timely fashion with faculty members with regards to decisions affecting the academic integrity of the university,” Funderburk said in the email. “The administration failed to initiate the appropriate processes in a timely fashion that would result in thorough and meaningful consultation with all appropriate parties.”

The process came to the UNI Faculty Senate roughly two weeks before a planned public announcement, despite the fact that the administration has known for the entire academic year that such cuts would be proposed, Funderburk said.

“The Senate worked hard within the unreasonable constraints imposed by the administration to question the proposed cuts and save programs,” he said. “The UNI Faculty Senate hereby states that it in no way considers the two meetings it had with the administrative team to constitute adequate or appropriate consultation.”