UNL Committee Pushes Back on Chancellor’s Proposed Program Cuts
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Academic Planning Committee (APC) has voiced strong opposition to the proposed program cuts put forward by Chancellor Rodney Bennett. The committee’s recommendations, unveiled by Bennett on Friday, largely diverge from his $27.5 million cost-cutting plan.
Out of the six program eliminations suggested, the committee only backed the discontinuation of textiles, merchandising and fashion design, and educational administration. The decision to cut these programs was narrowly supported, with votes standing at 12-9 and 11-10, respectively.
Conversely, the APC firmly rejected the proposal to eliminate community and regional planning, with a 19-2 vote against it, emphasizing its critical role in “supporting Nebraska’s rural communities and fulfilling statutory obligations related to infrastructure, environmental resilience, and public health.” Similarly, landscape architecture was defended with a 19-2 vote against its elimination. The votes were also against cutting statistics (13-8) and Earth and atmospheric sciences (11-9, with one abstention).
Some of Chancellor Bennett’s proposed changes received more favorable responses. The committee unanimously supported merging the plant pathology and entomology programs (21-0), and largely agreed (20-1) to merge agricultural economics with agricultural leadership, education, and communication.
However, the committee opposed budget cuts to the colleges of engineering and arts and sciences with a close 11-9 vote, and was deadlocked 7-7 with 7 abstentions regarding the consolidation of the schools of music and theater and film under one director.
The APC criticized the methodology and timeline of the proposed cuts, arguing that the short timeframe fails to allow for the development of alternative solutions and does not adequately consider faculty input. They have called for a delay in the implementation of the cuts.
Chancellor Bennett has yet to clarify the influence these recommendations will have on his decisions, although he acknowledged the APC’s efforts in an email to faculty and staff, stating, “I am now carefully reviewing the APC’s recommendations and continuing consultations with our shared governance partners before finalizing the budget reduction plan.” He aims to finalize the plan in the coming weeks and share it with the campus community.
The University of Nebraska’s Board of Regents is scheduled to make a decision on the proposed cuts at its meeting in December, barring any delays.
In related news, the university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors declared its support for the APC’s recommendations. They have urged Chancellor Bennett, NU President Dr. Jeffrey Gold, and the Board of Regents to halt any actions on the budget cuts until a more inclusive and transparent process involving faculty, students, and academic units is established. The release stated, “To do otherwise contradicts the primary land-grant mission of the university to make teaching and instruction its priority for the betterment and service of all Nebraskans.”
