I have created this blog because there was some interest in setting up a forum for MSU faculty to discuss the academic audit and what might perhaps be an upcoming restructuring of the academic units at Morehead State University.
I prefer that this blog be limited to MSU faculty members, but this is a public forum. If there is heavy faculty participation in the "MSU Audit and Restructuring Forum," there is some chance that students, reporters for the student newspaper, and administrators will monitor blog posts and comments. Those who comment on the blog can use their real names (that's what I'll be doing), nicknames (one of my favorites is "Keep a Clear Eye), or just click "Anonymous." On a "blogger" blog like this one, it's actually more convenient to sign in as "Anonymous."
I am the administrator for the "MSU Audit and Restructuring Forum" blog. Currently, I am also the only "contributor." Consequently, I am the only person who has the ability to enter a top post. Those who would like their contributions displayed as top posts have several possibilities at their disposal. They can be included in the list of "contributors" who can top post by letting me know of their preference for inclusion. If the MSU Audit and Restructuring Forum" blog does get off the ground, I would hope that we would have a large number of contributors. Faculty members who wish their comments to be top posted can also express their preference to me in their comment, or e-mail me at r.caric@morehead-st.edu or riccaric@hotmail.com.
As blog administrator, I also get to set the "rules of the road" for posting. Currently, I only have only rule and that's "no personal insults" concerning other commenters. I reserve the right to delete posts or comments containing such insults.
I'll start off the posting by posing a series of questions that I've heard or asked myself in relation to the academic audit. One bit of self-revelation. I'm a government professor in the Department of Geography, Government, and History and I was the audit team member for the government program.
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THE REAL AUDIT PLAN
As the comment period comes to a close, it is imperative that the campus community consider what has been spoken about in circles of power that is "the administration." The following is the real audit plan. Before reacting negatively, it should be considered that this plan is a good one because it protects the most vulnerable employees from what will be the most severe cuts in this university's history.
The Provost's audit plan currently under consideration calls for the following structural changes: a new college of fine arts under Dean McBride, a new college of regional and global studies under "Dean To Be Named Later," a combined college of business and IRAPP under Dean Albert (& Rudy), an existing college of education under Dean Gunn, and a college of science and technology under Dean DeMoss. This structure leaves two colleges unchanged and creates two colleges out of the current humanities college, and it eliminates IRAPP by combining it with the college business. This plan is fiscally unsound and will not carry the day.
We face a university with less students than it had but a few years ago, a state budget that will require serious and permanent cuts, a national economy in an historic decline, an economically distressed service region that will only become more distressed, and diminishing resources to support students at every level of government. The bottom line is that this audit must reduce the number of administrators and the costs of running the university to provide for the sustainability of the institution now and in the coming years.
We cannot afford five colleges and double the number of vice presidents we had five years ago.
The following is the real plan this university will be forced to act upon. The number of colleges will be reduced the three: a college of education, a college of business and IRAPP, and a college of arts and sciences. This college of arts and science will collapse the college of science and technology and the present college of humanities (which is proposed in the audit plan to be the college of regional and global studies and the college of fine arts).
This plan creates an arts and sciences college like Morehead State used to have and like numerous of our peer institutions have. Such a college saves money by reducing the number of administrators and staff, and by creating improved budgetary efficiency, and by coordination and coherence of curriculum. Overall, this real plan reduces the number of deans and administrative office from five to three.
There are now five times the number of assistants to the Provost and this number, like all the excessive growth in administration in recent years, must be cut. The number of departments must be reduced. Some disciplines that have outlived their usefulness for the 21st century must be elmininated, just like those that have anemic student numbers. These are times of austerity and the fiscal realities necessitate change.
This plan protects the most vulnerable, from the hourly workers in maintenance to student workers to junior faculty, all of whom cost the least and are worked the hardest. In typical times, the budget axe would fall on these vulnerable people first, but in these times of change, the Andrews administration must respond in a way that creates a sustainable university for the long recession ahead.
Everyone should embrace change.
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