From: Frank Brogan
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 5:30 PM
To: rcarter@fau.edu; pendakur@fau.edu; michael.friedland@fau.edu; Dennis Coates; Valerie Bristor; stevens@fau.edu; jbuller@fau.edu; Anne Boykin; perryg@fau.edu; Edward Pratt; Barry Rosson; William Miller
Cc: John Pritchett
Subject: Follow-Up to Council of Deans Meeting
Hello Deans:
The legislative session is coming to an end, and we are working hard to determine just how FAU will be affected by the 2009-10 state budget. The potential negative impact on FAU could have been a loss of $37 million if the House position had been adopted. While we are thankful the legislature ended budget negotiations much closer to the Senate’s position, we are nonetheless bracing for additional cuts of around $20 million.
As a follow-up to the conversation we had a few weeks ago, I am contacting you now regarding what we need to accomplish in the very near future: 1) Reduce our current budget in response to the statewide revenue shortfall; 2) Build a leaner budget for 2009-10 that reflects awareness of next year’s anticipated cuts; 3) Lay the groundwork for redefining and redesigning FAU for viability in the future.
I know you are already working closely with your faculty and staff to identify possible budget reductions within your respective colleges. Please continue that process by closely scrutinizing the productivity of all faculty and staff to ensure maximum efficiency. This means that some faculty will be teaching more and some staff will be taking on additional duties. In the face of possible layoffs, I intend to appear before the Board of Trustees this summer and declare that the employees who remain on the payroll have been scheduled for 100 percent productivity. In order to ensure the accuracy of this statement, I am asking each dean and vice president, before the start of the fall term, to conduct full evaluations of those under their supervision and certify to me that all work schedules meet this standard.
As we continue to work together to envision the University’s future, it is important that we examine every aspect of our institution to be certain we are focusing on its strengths. You have already done that regarding the academic programs we offer, identifying dozens that should be phased out. Additionally, I am asking each of you to examine the endowments that apply to your area. In the event you have endowed positions that require supplemental funding through E&G dollars, please make a determination about the strategic significance of those positions to the University’s future. I would like you to certify that each endowed fund under your purview plays a vital role in securing our future and is in keeping with our strategic plan.
Looking ahead, we have launched the FAU vision project with the assistance of Dr. Susan Clemmons, a faculty member from FIU who will help facilitate the process of redefining and redesigning our university for the future. Working in collaboration with Dr. Kristen Murtaugh, vice president for strategic planning, Dr. Clemmons will meet with the leadership of each college and division across the University to lay the groundwork for this effort. I need your help to ensure that this process is open and that it fully engages all members of your college’s community faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends.
We all know that this is going to be a pivotal year for Florida Atlantic University. A great deal of work lies ahead and a great deal is at stake. FAU can and must emerge from this experience as a stronger, better focused, more agile institution that is able to not only accommodate change but genuinely embrace it. I am convinced that we will have the wisdom to retool our university in ways that will enable it to survive and thrive in the new socioeconomic environment that is taking shape. Thank you for your valuable participation in this critically important process.
Frank T. Brogan, ‘81
President