UF reduces spending by $47 million in response to state budget reductions

May 5, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In response to the fiscal year 2008-09 budget adopted Friday by the Florida Legislature, University of Florida President Bernie Machen today announced $47 million in cuts affecting all areas of the university.

As a result of the budget cuts, the university will reduce funding for administrative units and research, reduce or eliminate degrees and courses, and restructure several departments. Accordingly, the budget reduction eliminates approximately 430 positions, resulting in a layoff of approximately 20 faculty and 118 staff members. The remaining positions are currently vacant or will be funded by sources other than state dollars. The layoffs do not affect tenured faculty.

In addition, the university will reduce undergraduate enrollment by 4,000 over four years. This reduction began with the decrease of transfer students by 1,000 for next year.

“Our priority is to protect the quality of education at the University of Florida,” Machen said. “With the help of our deans and vice presidents, we have worked very hard to minimize the impacts. But clearly, we cannot take reductions this large without making difficult choices.”

The budget cuts were achieved by requiring each college and administrative unit to reduce spending by 6 percent. Each dean and vice president determined how the college and unit would meet its goal.

The criteria for deciding budget reductions included protecting the university’s core missions of education, research and service (including economic development), the strategic goals of the university and the needs of students and the state. Administrators sought to more efficiently allocate resources but in some cases were forced to eliminate services and programs.

University libraries and security programs were exempted from the cuts. Promotional raises for faculty will be retained.

Because most of the university’s budget is dedicated to paying salaries, the elimination of positions is often the only choice for a college or administrative area to achieve cuts of this magnitude, Machen said. Colleges and administrative offices with the largest number of employees will see the most impact.

Examples of the reductions include:

• Eliminating more than 200 vacant positions and shifting the funding source of others. Staff layoffs number approximately 118, while faculty layoffs are approximately 20.
• Reducing or eliminating some degrees and courses. Students who are currently enrolled in degree programs slated to be eliminated will be able to complete their degrees.
• Reducing and restructuring a limited number of departments in the colleges of Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Design, Construction and Planning, and in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
• Decreasing research funding in the Water Institute, McKnight Brain Institute and the Center for Latin American Studies, among others.
• Reducing operating hours at the Harn Museum, visiting exhibits at the Florida Museum of Natural History and performances at the Phillips Center for Performing Arts.
• Reducing services at the Archer Family Health Clinic.

A list of reductions is posted on the UF President’s Web site at www.president.ufl.edu.

Machen urged faculty to provide input on the budget to members of the Faculty Senate Steering Committee. He will meet with the group on May 8 for faculty review. The budget will be finalized and presented to the Board of Trustees as a recommendation for its endorsement during a conference call the week of May 12.

Official layoff notices will go out to affected faculty and staff after the Board of Trustees conference call. Professionals from the Office of Human Resources will be available to assist those personnel with services related to other potential employment and benefits. Terms of separation vary depending upon classification of the eliminated positions. The university has posted additional information on layoffs and human resource assistance programs at http://www.hr.ufl.edu/emp_relations/layoff/default.asp.

The timing of today’s announcement was based on the Legislature’s final approval of the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, requiring swift action by the university to reduce spending, Machen said.

UF’s general revenue budget is $69 million less than it was a year ago. That number includes $22 million UF cut in October, and the current $47 million that reflects legislative reductions made in March that were covered with one-time funds, as well as next year’s budget.

While the Legislature appropriates additional funds from increased lottery revenues, lottery sales have not been increasing as anticipated and it is unknown if those funds will materialize. Additional cuts may become necessary later in the year if state revenues continue to fall.