Over recent weeks there has been a growing “buzz” on campus that a committee of high-level administrators has been meeting with the purpose of formulating a plan to deal with the next round of budget cuts, if they come. These discussions are reported to have centered around the necessity to lower faculty and staff salaries, either by a permanent salary reduction or by instituting furloughs or a combination of both.
The numbers that have been anonymously reported are a 5 percent permanent budget cut and a series of furloughs equal to another 5 percent cut. A recent report in this newspaper about furlough discussions in Topeka by legislators lends credence to the Kansas University rumors.
If there is some truth to these rumors, I have several observations. First, I think it is absolutely imperative that the university plan for potential cuts and that the use of a high level committee as part of that planning process is sensible. On the other hand, I also feel that there should be extensive consultation on any such plan, consultation with faculty and staff and discussions should be practical and concrete.
Faculty and staff at KU have a right to know, as early as possible, what might be happening to their compensation so that they can have a chance to plan for any reductions. The more notice they have, the easier it will be to do such planning.
Second, I hope that those who are constructing such plans consider the idea that the degree of reduction should be tied to the level of compensation. A 5 to 10 percent cut will hit lower-paid staff and faculty much harder than those who receive higher pay, for those at lower levels will have far less discretionary income. An across-the-board cut may result in higher-paid workers cancelling vacations while lower paid workers cancel meals. Any plan devised should be one which incorporates a realistic view of faculty and staff differing economic situations.
Third, whatever reductions are put in place should affect everyone on campus, including senior administrators and the so-called “rock star” faculty who have been recruited recently, regardless of the sources from which their compensation is paid. Similarly affiliated organizations like the Athletic Association, the Endowment Association, and the Alumni Association should take the same cuts, even if not absolutely required, as a gesture of solidarity with the rest of KU. In terrible times, morale suffers greatly when some individuals or groups are exempted from sharing in the pain.
It is beginning to look like financial hard times are hardly over at KU and the other Kansas Board of Regents schools. How hard they will be psychologically will depend, in great part, on how the difficulties are shared. I hope that our senior administrators act wisely in making this decision.
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Godot (anonymous) says…
agree, 100 percent. well said.
JoRight (anonymous) says…
You really fell off there at the end. . .you *almost* held it together.
For instance, say athletics & the alumni association are setting a record year in revenue / donations. Why would we encourage a place like that to cut the same as KU? If I were running the show at either of those places, that'd be music to my ears. "What, they want us to cut to show good faith? Hell yea we'll do that. Instead of hiring / giving out bonuses / raises this year, how about we renovate my office & spin it off as us being green. People are all about stuff being green."
In the end, not all businesses are suffering in this economy. . .in fact, some are capitalizing on the fact that it is a bad economy (like my example above).
Last I checked, companies that are doing well are not slashing salaries & cutting employees, most hire, give raises & expand their venture.
JackMartin_KUCommunications (Jack Martin) says…
The September 8 edition of the Oread, the faculty-staff newsletter at KU, had an article that covered many of the issues raised here.
Oread: Committee formed to help inform furlough plan
http://www.oread.ku.edu/~oread/2009/s...
As you can see from the list of members, the committee was made up of representatives from all areas of the university, including faculty and staff governance leaders, and the committee members sought input from the campus community. Its recommendations are being reviewed and will be made public very soon.
The concept of tying the length of a furlough to an individual's compensation is one that was mentioned several times by the university leadership at the budget forums held earlier this year, videos of which are available at http://youtube.com/KU. As is stated in the article, this is one of the ideas the committee looked at.
I encourage anyone who is interested in this or other issues to subscribe to the Oread, or any other KU publications, by going to http://connect.ku.edu
Jack Martin
University Communications