In our recessed economy, universities and colleges are having to enforce dramatic budget cuts. Liberal arts colleges across the United States are tightening their belts- slashing courses and professors. However, other institutions’ budget plans include bigger cuts to administration over faculty.
Albertson College in Idaho is a liberal arts college facing a $2.1 million cut in personnel and operational fund cuts.
Albertson’s college newspaper reported that 63 percent of the cuts would be from administration departments because the school wanted to make sure that the cuts would not greatly impact the students’ educational experience and remain true to the college’s mission of providing an outstanding liberal arts education.
If only Mills could take a note from Albertson’s plan. By eliminating the drama department, the proposed plan states that the cut will save the school $30 thousand. When the decision was made to eliminate the department, one might ask, were there no other areas that could be cut? One area in particular would be administration.
From the 990 tax return of 2001, I calculated that seven administrators including the president are paid over $950 thousand dollars annually.
These are just seven out of all the people working in administration. Although plans to cut administration are vague and have not yet been set in ink, clearly, a handful of administration officials are still making a lot of money.
Until recently, the president announced at a meeting with the student body that there will be cuts from administration and staff.
Hopefully we will see some equally dramatic cuts in administration, because after all, wouldn’t it be unfair to have only faculty carry the burden?
The cuts that are proposed are directed at academic departments. Mills college promises in their mission statement that its teaching philosophy comes from a “long-standing dedication to women’s education.”
I don’t see dedication when a core and fundamental academic program like dramatic arts is cut instead of personnel payroll.
What it does show is when it comes down to cutting for financial reasons, a Mills student’s education comes second.
I would like to see a plan where everyone will sacrifice for the mission to ensure that a Mills woman receives an exceptional liberal arts education.
