I'm not an alumnus of UConn but academic back channels are heating up about UConn

[upstater]

Apparently, UConn has hired the same consulting firm / hatchet men that West Virginia recently used, which ended in a colossal PR hit and failure for WVs administration. There's a heck of a lot of noise that UConn is about to go down a very dark road academically.

 

[Patman]

Apparently, UConn has hired the same consulting firm / hatchet men that West Virginia recently used, which ended in a colossal PR hit and failure for WVs administration. There's a heck of a lot of noise that UConn is about to go down a very dark road academically.

Good thing you let us know because if you were explicit we might be able to learn about what's going on.

 

[upstater]

Good thing you let us know because if you were explicit we might be able to learn about what's going on.

By the time it hits the news, it will be all over.

All you need to know is they hired hatchet men to take an axe to programs. It's the same firm that ended Computer Science, Mathematics and English at West Virginia U.

 

[husky8273]

what is the name of the firm?

 

[upstater]

what is the name of the firm?

RPK Group

 

[SubbaBub]

By the time it hits the news, it will be all over.

All you need to know is they hired hatchet men to take an axe to programs. It's the same firm that ended Computer Science, Mathematics and English at West Virginia U.

To be fair, those are three subjects where resources are most likely to be wasted in WV.

 

[huskymedic]

Apparently, UConn has hired the same consulting firm / hatchet men that West Virginia recently used, which ended in a colossal PR hit and failure for WVs administration. There's a heck of a lot of noise that UConn is about to go down a very dark road academically.

I don’t have a dog in the hunt and I don’t know what they were hired to consult on but help me understand why culling a bloated course catalogue and eliminating/streamlining duplicate programs across the state college system would be considered going down a dark road academically?

 

[upstater]

I don’t have a dog in the hunt and I don’t know what they were hired to consult on but help me understand why culling a bloated course catalogue and eliminating/streamlining duplicate programs across the state college system would be considered going down a dark road academically?

I'm not sure why a bloated course catalog is relevant. They'd be looking at cutting a # of faculty. Typically they can't do this unless they're in a retrenchment process where entire departments are eliminated. You can streamline satellite campuses but eliminating majors at the main campus hurts the perception of UConn as a university. If there was ever a will to join the AAU (and there should be if you're UConn) this would hurt UConn badly, if not permanently. You have to have a breadth of offerings.

But the big problem is what this consulting group advised at WV, which was myopic. The cutting of math, computer science, english and languages just rips the soul out of a university. That kind of action could only be done by a consultant counting beans, never anyone concerned for the health of the greater university. It also completely disregards which departments are in the black, which departments are in the red.

 

[kibblesnbits]

I'm not sure why a bloated course catalog is relevant. They'd be looking at cutting a # of faculty. Typically they can't do this unless they're in a retrenchment process where entire departments are eliminated. You can streamline satellite campuses but eliminating majors at the main campus hurts the perception of UConn as a university. If there was ever a will to join the AAU (and there should be if you're UConn) this would hurt UConn badly, if not permanently. You have to have a breadth of offerings.

But the big problem is what this consulting group advised at WV, which was myopic. The cutting of math, computer science, english and languages just rips the soul out of a university. That kind of action could only be done by a consultant counting beans, never anyone concerned for the health of the greater university. It also completely disregards which departments are in the black, which departments are in the red.

I concur with many of your sentiments about the danger in WVU's actions. However, you have to clearer when making the statements "Typically they can't do this unless they're in a retrenchment process where entire departments are eliminated" and "The cutting of math, computer science, english and languages just rips the soul out of a university." The Math, Computer Science and English departments were not eliminated. In fact, I think they cut no CS programs and only single graduate programs in the other two departments. Having said that, many departments were impacted with the cuts to English and Math faculties being the most dramatic (beyond world languages which were eliminated completely) with more than 1/3 terminated. I agree that can tremendously damage a university and the problem extends beyond the loss of degree programs in their fields, because both provide core courses that are required for many majors or just to get a well rounded education, thus the impact can daisy chain across the campus.

 

[husky8273]

from 9/15/23 - WVU board approves cuts to degree programs, faculty layoffs

 

[dvegas]

To be fair, those are three subjects where resources are most likely to be wasted in WV.

I would have thought that would be HDFR

 

[Patman]

By the time it hits the news, it will be all over.

All you need to know is they hired hatchet men to take an axe to programs. It's the same firm that ended Computer Science, Mathematics and English at West Virginia U.

Again... aren't you helpful.

 

[upstater]

I concur with many of your sentiments about the danger in WVU's actions. However, you have to clearer when making the statements "Typically they can't do this unless they're in a retrenchment process where entire departments are eliminated" and "The cutting of math, computer science, english and languages just rips the soul out of a university." The Math, Computer Science and English departments were not eliminated. In fact, I think they cut no CS programs and only single graduate programs in the other two departments. Having said that, many departments were impacted with the cuts to English and Math faculties being the most dramatic (beyond world languages which were eliminated completely) with more than 1/3 terminated. I agree that can tremendously damage a university and the problem extends beyond the loss of degree programs in their fields, because both provide core courses that are required for many majors or just to get a well rounded education, thus the impact can daisy chain across the campus.

By retrenchment, I was referring to UConn. WV had no such process, no unions at all there. They were authorized to do what they wanted.

The computer science info I got from here: https://provost.wvu.edu/files/d/262...mputer-science-and-electrical-engineering.pdf

It seems they are farming out what is left to Coursera. So you can still get a degree, by taking online courses from elsewhere. They are also signing contracts with OpenAI to teach coding.

The cuts to English made it non-functional and essentially reduced it to a composition/rhetoric program. Math isn't my specialty so I don't know if the cuts make the degree nonviable.

 

[upstater]

An article came out in the Chronicle today; I'm sure many of you can't read it but I'll provide some highlights: Shibboleth Authentication Request

"Days before University of Connecticut students finished fall classes, and one week after department heads had submitted their budgets for the coming fiscal year, troubling news began to seep out among faculty and staff members.

The president had informed the Faculty Senate that the university was facing a projected $70-million deficit in 2025, as the state sharply reduced its funding allocation. UConn would need to drastically cut its budget.

The administration’s proposal to confront the shortfall was sweeping: The university would reduce the operating budget of all units — schools, colleges, administration, and institutional support — by 15 percent over five years."

The problem for these departments is that the discretionary/fungible yearly income for them amounts to 3% of their budget. So if they got rid of their entire operating budget for things like research/travel, replacement adjuncts for those on leaves, presentations and talks, office supplies, etc., they would still need to cut 4x as much to comply with the across the board cuts.

To several professors, the proposed reduction was alarmingly reminiscent of West Virginia University’s extensive financial cuts last year, in which 10 undergraduate and 18 graduate programs were shuttered to address a $45-million budget deficit.

I will link below to an article in the Chronicle about institutions like Arizona, West Virginia, UConn and Nebraska.

Here's more from the History Dept. They talk of ending grad instruction:

Still, faculty are raising alarms, saying that a 15-percent reduction poses an existential threat to graduate education and assistantships in several colleges.

In the history department, the graduate program accounts for only 3.8 percent of the operating budget, said Simpson. So even if it was eliminated, the department would still need to cut an additional 11 percent.

“There’s just a sense of fear and loss of morale” among graduate students, said Grace Easterly, president of UConn’s graduate-student union and a Ph.D. student in the history department.

“As grad students, we really care about this institution, and we really care about the students that we teach,” Easterly said. “I think that it’s really concerning to hear that this plan could result in potentially the loss of grad instruction in some of our departments.”

According to Terni, what the university is contending with “is not a cut where you make choices. This is everything,” she said. “This is going to cripple the university.”

Below is a link to the faculty response letter:

Open Letter from UConn Faculty

docs.google.com

 

[upstater]

Shibboleth Authentication Request

It was one of the paradoxes of the pandemic. As enrollment wavered at most four-year colleges and dropped by as much as 15 percent on average at community colleges, many public flagship universities raked in record classes. Total fall enrollment at the University of Kentucky, for example, has climbed steadily from 31,110 in 2020 to 33,885 in 2023, according to federal data. Many other public flagships have continued to experience record growth as Covid-19 wanes.

But not all large public universities are experiencing boom times. The University of Nebraska at Lincoln is facing a projected $12-million budget deficit, in part due to declining enrollment, and is evaluating possible program cuts. Its exact shortfall won’t be known until early next year, a spokesperson said, but Nebraska’s four-campus system is estimated to be $58 million in the red by the end of the 2025 fiscal year. West Virginia University faces at $45-million budget gap, in part because of missed enrollment goals, and has proposed eliminating dozens of majors and programs. (The University of Arizona revealed last month that it had entered a state of “financial crisis” due to fiscal miscalculations.)

 

[Waquoit]

Dr. Gee is a corrupt but makes for a catchy song:

 

[CL82]

Dr. Gee is a corrupt but makes for a catchy song:

They have the same sound as The Rembrandts.

 

[BigTenFan]

West Virginia bet the farm on growing enrollment while spending ridiculous amounts of money on frills in Morgantown.
Lots of bad decisions and unrealistic expectations.

UConn has growing enrollment with lots of demand for it's top grad and undergrad programs - They may need to use a scalpel - not a hatchet

 

[UConnJim]

West Virginia bet the farm on growing enrollment while spending ridiculous amounts of money on frills in Morgantown.
Lots of bad decisions and unrealistic expectations.

UConn has growing enrollment with lots of demand for it's top grad and undergrad programs - They may need to use a scalpel - not a hatchet

Enrollment at UConn has changed over the years. For example, engineering enrollment has grown rapidly and many majors have dropped off considerably. There are dozens of undergraduate majors at UConn that have 10 or less students studying for a degree (some additional students may be studying for a minor in the field). The small degree enrollments are almost entirely in Ag, Liberal Arts, and Education. And, you have tenured faculty who would have a hard time finding another job. So, what do you do?

 

[upstater]

Enrollment at UConn has changed over the years. For example, engineering enrollment has grown rapidly and many majors have dropped off considerably. There are dozens of undergraduate majors at UConn that have 10 or less students studying for a degree (some additional students may be studying for a minor in the field). The small degree enrollments are almost entirely in Ag, Liberal Arts, and Education. And, you have tenured faculty who would have a hard time finding another job. So, what do you do?

There should be a variety of things to address this.

#1. Re-enroll the dropouts from Engineering in another major. Instead, schools across the country are seeing engineering dropouts leave school altogether. I can't believe I'm saying this but an administrator needs to get a hold of that situation (this is happening all over the country).

#2. Since engineering is costly, well over and above the total average cost of attendance, screen the students better so that you can route students into more appropriate majors, thereby saving money on the overall budget. Many of the departments you mention are in the black.

#3. This is an admissions problem. Admissions needs to align the # of students interested in various fields with the various schools. It should not admit students in such a top heavy manner.

 

[Slick]

Apparently, UConn has hired the same consulting firm / hatchet men that West Virginia recently used, which ended in a colossal PR hit and failure for WVs administration. There's a heck of a lot of noise that UConn is about to go down a very dark road academically.

Unfortunately there is a lot of dead wood at Uconn that should be eliminated. We even paid a professor who had died 1 or 2 years ago over 200k.

 

[BigTenFan]

Don't forget the 3 current/past Presidents still on the payroll

 

[huskymedic]

It’s all part of the process: UConn, UConn Health to seek additional $60M from state legislature to close budget gaps

 

[How Sway?!]

It’s all part of the process: UConn, UConn Health to seek additional $60M from state legislature to close budget gaps

Aren't most health systems profit makers for universities? Or am I imagining things. Iirc one of Donna Shalala's signature projects at Miami was the health system since it provided a lot of cash back to the school.

 

[upstater]

Aren't most health systems profit makers for universities? Or am I imagining things. Iirc one of Donna Shalala's signature projects at Miami was the health system since it provided a lot of cash back to the school.

They are a big money suck that everyone complains about.

SUNY is actually closing up shop downstate. The whole school is being dissolved and all research and operations are being moved to 3 other hospitals.

The entire reason for having these money sucking operations is the amount of research that goes into them. This is what elevates schools in the rankings. Look at USF which just joined the AAU -- every other metric is below par for them, and the school does not have a good academic reputation, but their hospital is what gained them traction.