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UConn Faces Growing Competition Amid Budget Cuts
"After years of steady improvement and a rising national reputation, state budget cuts are reshaping future expectations at the University of Connecticut.
UConn broke into the top 20 public research universities at No. 19, shortly after President Susan Herbst arrived in 2011, and kept that ranking except for a slip to 21 in 2012. Now, as the UConn copes with budget cuts that affect the university's ability to provide scholarships and hire faculty and staff, Herbst is bracing for a possible dip in the university's ranking by U.S. News & World Report early next month.
But a recent $40.6 million cut in its state appropriation is pushing Herbst and other UConn leaders to reconsider plans for the future.
"We just want to get everybody ready, to put it in context because these other [universities] they are coming up right behind us … We have these financial constraints that we are concerned about," Herbst said. "We hold our breath every year. A couple of places up and down doesn't matter that much. Everybody has that little bouncing, but we want to stay firmly in the top 25."
Small changes in the rankings are hard to predict, but "we can slip far, and with lightning speed, if we are not adequately funded," Herbst said. "This fight will demand more support, philanthropy, and strong leadership from the most talented leaders and faculty, which we risk losing."
"We could be Number 12, Number 11. We could be looming over the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report -- if we didn't have this cut in appropriations," she said.
UConn's competitors include Penn State, the University of Maryland, the University of Vermont, Northeastern, Boston University, Quinnipiac University and Fordham University. A higher ranking in the U.S. News & World Report is likely to catch an applicant's attention in that increasingly competitive circle."
"After years of steady improvement and a rising national reputation, state budget cuts are reshaping future expectations at the University of Connecticut.
UConn broke into the top 20 public research universities at No. 19, shortly after President Susan Herbst arrived in 2011, and kept that ranking except for a slip to 21 in 2012. Now, as the UConn copes with budget cuts that affect the university's ability to provide scholarships and hire faculty and staff, Herbst is bracing for a possible dip in the university's ranking by U.S. News & World Report early next month.
But a recent $40.6 million cut in its state appropriation is pushing Herbst and other UConn leaders to reconsider plans for the future.
"We just want to get everybody ready, to put it in context because these other [universities] they are coming up right behind us … We have these financial constraints that we are concerned about," Herbst said. "We hold our breath every year. A couple of places up and down doesn't matter that much. Everybody has that little bouncing, but we want to stay firmly in the top 25."
Small changes in the rankings are hard to predict, but "we can slip far, and with lightning speed, if we are not adequately funded," Herbst said. "This fight will demand more support, philanthropy, and strong leadership from the most talented leaders and faculty, which we risk losing."
"We could be Number 12, Number 11. We could be looming over the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report -- if we didn't have this cut in appropriations," she said.
UConn's competitors include Penn State, the University of Maryland, the University of Vermont, Northeastern, Boston University, Quinnipiac University and Fordham University. A higher ranking in the U.S. News & World Report is likely to catch an applicant's attention in that increasingly competitive circle."