Budget Concerns from Some CAS Faculty

A group of CAS faculty prepared this list of concerns. The list was routed to NCE faculty for discussion. It's a good starting point for understanding these faculty member's concerns about the budget.

1- We recognize that NLU's expenditures are very likely to exceed revenues in FY 11 and 12;

2- We are willing to participate in a JOINT effort to reduce expenses for these years but we also expect to participate in the development of a recovery plan for the University;

3- We believe that equity is a key issue in this effort and we believe that all stakeholders should participate equitably in this effort;

4- We believe that travel expenses, future professional development, Fall Connection, and other non-essential expenses should be cut first;

5- We believe that across (faculty, staff and administrators) the board TEMPORARY (2 years maximum) cuts in NLU's matching retirement contributions are more equitable than the proposed increase in faculty load and that compensation not affected by this decrease should be equally reduced. This includes among others: overloads, adjunct pay, bonuses, salaries of staff and administrators not eligible for retirement contributions, etc.

6- We believe that the proposed increase in faculty load is equivalent to a salary reduction to a very large percentage of us and is not equitable. First, because it will only reduce faculty salary and second, because it unfairly reduces lower salaries by a higher percentage than larger salaries;

7- We believe that general layoffs are the least preferred option of expense reduction but we recognize that most open positions may not be filled in the next two years.

8- We believe that if layoffs of non-tenured faculty occur they should not be based on “last in first out” approaches and they should take into account the performance of each faculty member and the specific current and future needs of the College;

9- We support the President’s decision of not reducing the budget for marketing and enrollment efforts;

10- We believe that the University needs to diversify its program offerings and that increased investment in new and existing CAS program is a key component of this strategy;

11- We are willing to develop and participate in new initiatives that would increase the number of students we serve;

12- We want to make it clear that these concessions are TEMPORARY and are meant to last a maximum of 2 years and that any future concessions would have to be renegotiated from the base situation of 2010.