The following is a summary of suggestions that were submitted by faculty members to the Office of the Provost. The decision-making process is still underway, and I will continue to update you regularly. Please read through these suggestions and provide further input.
Suggestions for Reducing Expenses and Boosting Revenues
Campus-related comments
- Many suggested shifting in-person partner campus sections to eLearning sections
- Many suggested closing Dania Beach (Sea Tech), Fort Lauderdale and Treasure Coast
- Some suggested closing Jupiter and Davie
- Some suggested limiting programs to one campus, videoconferencing to others
- Some suggested limiting services (financial aid, registrar) to the Boca campus
College and Department-related comments
- Many suggested combining Teaching & Learning with the Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry department that was once a single unit
- Some suggested reorganizing the Graduate College and Honors College
- A few suggested having the Honors College faculty teach large non-honors sections
- A few suggested combining other Colleges
Efficiency-related comments
- Many suggested removing landlines, recommending cell phone stipends
- Many suggested reducing energy use (lights and AC)
Enrollment-related comments
- Many suggested increasing full-time faculty course loads
- Many suggested more efficient course scheduling (only offer full sections, more large sections)
- Some suggested closing low-enrollment programs
- A few suggested shortening the summer semester
Personnel-related comments
- Many suggested 4-day work weeks
- Many suggested incentivizing early retirement
- Some suggested furloughs or voluntary pay cuts (over layoffs)
Research-related comments
- A few suggested flexible pay or course loads for high/low research activities
- A few suggested eliminating low-activity Research Centers
Revenue-related comments
- Many suggested increasing philanthropy and corporate sponsorship
- Many suggested targeting out-of-state and international students
- Many suggested renting out more space on campus, primarily in the stadium
- Some suggested charging students fees for Honors or limited-access courses/programs
- A few suggested charging students more for housing
- A few suggested increasing retention
Specific administration-related comments
- Many suggested reducing the number of faculty administrators and/or their salaries
- A few suggested closing the Center for eLearning
- A few suggested outsource technological support
- A few suggested reducing support personnel
This conversation is incredibly important to the future of FAU. Our first priority is protecting the academic services that we provide students as we continue to support research and service efforts. Please participate at the following website: www.fau.edu/provost/budget.php.
