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Cost-cutting measures by colleges


Kim’s short presidency focused on stabilization

The Dartmouth
April 17, 2012

College President Jim Yong Kim, who will be leaving Dartmouth to assume the presidency of the World Bank on June 30 after only two years and nine months in office, focused his tenure on leading the College through a financial crisis and raising its profile in health-related fields. Following a 23-percent drop in the College's endowment in the 2009 fiscal year, Kim announced $100 million in budget cuts in early 2010, targeting certain aspects of campus instead of implementing uniform reductions across all departments and programs. By 2011, the College had achieved 85 percent of its intended reductions.

New England College faculty donates cash to save jobs

Concord, N.H., Monitor
March 28, 2012

When New England College officials announced they might cut staff to balance a budget shortfall, faculty convened an impromptu gathering Friday and quickly pledged to donate the $100,000 necessary to avoid layoffs. Over the weekend, most of the school's 70 faculty members, who were not up for cuts themselves, made contributions to offset a more than $350,000 deficit caused by a drop in enrollment. The lost pay will be painful for many but less so than the loss of a job, according to one of the professors, who said many faculty members were distraught over the possible cuts.

Wait, Isn't This the Old Normal?

Inside Higher Ed
March 21, 2012

The justification for the large increases at publics has been the need to maintain quality in the face of state appropriations cuts, an excuse private universities don't have. For many privates, other revenue sources, including endowment returns and private giving, are back to where they were before the recession. And almost half the presidents of private doctoral universities surveyed recently by Inside Higher Ed said their institutions could make additional spending cuts without hurting quality, meaning there is little imperative for increases. For this reason, the presidents of several private institutions have taken some measures to control costs.

To cut costs, W.Va. colleges to share faculty

Charleston, W.Va., Gazette
March 6, 2012

As part of a $150,000 grant from the Teagle Foundation, the University of Charleston, Bethany College, Davis & Elkins College, Emory & Henry College and West Virginia Wesleyan College are pooling resources to offer a remedial math class taught by one professor across the five colleges and sharing an American history professor between two campuses beginning this fall. The grant was awarded for development of a course-delivery model that would cut down on teaching costs but maintain a high standard of student learning. The five colleges came up with the idea of the "blended learning" math-sharing program and the joint American history class.

70 take voluntary buyout at Duquesne University

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
February 14, 2012

A total of 70 Duquesne University employees - 50 staff and 20 faculty - have taken the voluntary buyout that the school offered in December as a hedge against an enrollment slide and declining revenue, the school said Monday. Duquesne president Charles Dougherty held a town hall-style meeting with some 600 employees and updated them on finances and enrollment trends. He said Duquesne has managed to erase a projected $10 million deficit for the 2012-13 academic year through a range of cost-cutting and other moves.

Harvard to offer voluntary buyouts to 275 as part of push to modernize library

Boston Globe
February 13, 2012

The targeted employees are largely 55 and over, with 10 or more years' experience at Harvard. The packages will offer a payment equal to six month's pay plus two weeks of pay for each year of service in excess of 10 years, up to the equivalent of one year's base pay. On Friday, Harvard announced a sweeping overhaul of its library system, including the consolidation of services and the shuffling of many of its 900-plus employees. The college said the changes were necessary to bring the system, the world's largest academic collection, up to speed in the digital era.

University of Charleston: How we cut tuition by 22%

CNNMoney - Interview
February 7, 2012

After seeing enrollment decline for the first time in a decade, the University of Charleston, in West Virginia, slashed tuition by 22% for the upcoming school year hoping to entice more students. Tuition for new students will be $19,500 per year beginning in August - down from the current rate of $25,000. In an interview with CNNMoney, the university's president, Dr. Edwin Welch, explains why he took this unusual step and what the impact has been so far.

Montreat College announces cuts

Asheville, N.C., Citizen-Times
February 1, 2012

Montreat College officials will cut four academic programs and a total of 29 employees to strengthen its financial position, college President Dan Struble said Wednesday. Struble and the college's cabinet also will get salary cuts. Struble declined to say how much. No employees will see salary cuts, he said. The college also plans to keep tuition the same for the 2012-13 academic year. Tuition at Montreat is about $21,000 a year.

Yale still addressing budget gap

Yale Daily News
January 19, 2012

Yale University President Richard Levin and Provost Peter Salovey wrote in a Wednesday memo to faculty and staff that additional budget reductions are required to close the remnants of a $350 million gap caused by the 25 percent decline in the endowment three years ago. Though Yale returned 21.9 percent on its investments in the fiscal year that ended June 30, the University's increase in spending is projected to outpace growth in revenue for the 2012-'13 academic year.

Carson-Newman eliminates academic programs, jobs

Knoxville, Tenn., News
January 19, 2012

Carson-Newman College has eliminated three academic programs, top cabinet positions and other jobs as part of restructuring at the college, according to an email administrators sent to members of the campus community last week. The school has also eliminated top administrative positions, including executive vice president, vice president of church relations, associate vice president for finance and vice president for marketing and communication. In addition, the school eliminated two positions in the Office of Advancement and one position in alumni affairs.

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