Budget Cuts:
- Thread starter PSUFTG2
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And former university President Eric Barron typically moved forward with across-the-board cuts, which Bendapudi later indirectly panned.
In a separate Monday email to faculty, Bendapudi wrote that across-the-board cuts “do not fuel excellence” and instead “undercuts successful areas and programs.” Her goal has remained to balance the budget by summer 2025.
I still wonder what those meetings were like between the former president who was paid as a consultant and his successor.
In a separate Monday email to faculty, Bendapudi wrote that across-the-board cuts “do not fuel excellence” and instead “undercuts successful areas and programs.” Her goal has remained to balance the budget by summer 2025.
I still wonder what those meetings were like between the former president who was paid as a consultant and his successor.
I know local communities take pride in their commonwealth campuses but the university needs to seriously consider closures/mergers where appropriate. It'll get heat from local politicians but that shouldn't be a consideration.
Makes sense to cut at the branch campuses that are losing student population.
It sounds like they are heading in that direction.
Commonwealth Campuses are losing student population but I heard that they want to grow the student population at Main Campus(I think that was in her email as well). One needs to think when does too big actually get too big? Students won't be able to make those personal connections as easily at the Main campus education factory. Oh wait, maybe they want to grow the student population at main campus to help fill all these new apartment complexes they have been building? - takes tinfoil hat off....
The sad part about this is that I am hearing that some people working at main campus may be losing their jobs...I don't mean the upper management types, I mean the front line types who will most likely have a hard time finding another job in this area.
FWIW:
1) PSU needs to become (vastly) more fiscally responsible and efficient/effective.
2) PSU could do things tomorrow - that would reduce annual operating budget issues by $100 Million - with ZERO negative impact on any of PSU's missions (and, likely, enhance and improve some of those missions).
3) And do that without even beginning to consider Commonwealth Campuses - which do also deserve to be scrutinized and evaluated.
C'est la Vie.
1) PSU needs to become (vastly) more fiscally responsible and efficient/effective.
2) PSU could do things tomorrow - that would reduce annual operating budget issues by $100 Million - with ZERO negative impact on any of PSU's missions (and, likely, enhance and improve some of those missions).
3) And do that without even beginning to consider Commonwealth Campuses - which do also deserve to be scrutinized and evaluated.
C'est la Vie.
Have you ever been in a room full of Vice Presidents discussing staff reductions and cost cutting? I’ll give you a hint, it applies to everyone but them.
I have been saying that for a while. They all don't serve enough students to validate being kept open.
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That sounds like any and all governing bodies.
Absolutely right, but unfortunately some are “worser” than others. Somewhat like hot peppers. There’s hot, red hot, smoking hot and keep your toilet paper in the refrigerator hot.
I believe PSU UP has 16 or 17 various "units" vav Budgeting (don't carve that is stone, but that is more or less the number)
Of those units - EVERY one of them saw their budget cut (or cuts mandated, even if not yet implemented) - except ONE.
That one unit that escaped budget reductions? The Office of the President.
You must be a fun dinner companion at a Mexican restaurant.
Makes sense to me, you need a full staff to keep an eye on those troublesome serfs. The true goal in any organization is to obtain admission to the inner circle, then preserve it at all costs.
Still frosty in NoVA, so something to warm everyone up today. Three votes - go.
1. Blue Boulders
2. Ginger in Splendor
3. Tight Tug
4. Hokey Pokey
5. Low Constitution
6. Coconuts
7. Taylor Who?
8. Nymphish
9. Poser
10. Cutie Patootie
We Are Worse!
Never got around to discussing financial matters. Too busy swapping recipes for onion dip.
There are duplicate functions within each college that could be centralized within an shared services unit to reduce cost, standardize level of service and manage head count centrally. These include IT, DEIB, other admin functions for starters. Why is each college supporting leadership functions within these roles where it could be centralized and eliminate the redundant management positions which have higher salaries. It's all about making hard decisions and willing to accept the blowback.
The easy response to the local politicians is that the state representatives have had years of opportunity to properly fund Penn State to enable these campuses to stay open. The clock has run out waiting for them to take action therefore we have no choice but to take this action. Period.
Would honestly like to hear what these things are.
I will now think of frozen toilet paper now everytime you post.If someone else is paying, I’m a fun dinner companion at any type of restaurant.
I get your point here but disagree. I think most people wind up with a circle of friends regardless of where they live- small town or NYC, makes little difference. Big school, small school -the same.
PSU announces record athletic department revenues, then they announce $60m in staff increases, then the announced budget cuts…. The PR is busy trying to figure out their messaging.
Student to student relationships probably foster regardless of enrollment size. But the student to faculty connection definitely waters down as enrollment increases. Improving student to teacher ratio is definitely one of the strengths of Schreyer Honors at PSU.
When I worked in a financial role at Duke University, a friend described universities spending money as being akin to Cookie Monster eating cookies. As Cville notes, there are redundancies that, if reduced, could save millions. I was the business manager for two departments, and barely broke a sweat work-wise. Many other departments had their own business manager; consolidate a few and it would be amazing how much could be saved.
And, yes, folks losing jobs in State College is tough when it comes to find another job. UHaul rents vans for those occasions. Sound harsh? We've moved multiple times to chase jobs. Maybe some folks don't have to - good for them.
Two of my kids are Schreyer grads. I think Schreyer is proof that (at least in theory) a big state school can perform both its core mission of providing a good, affordable education to large numbers of students and also provide a great education to a smaller number of students. Penn State has just forgotten about the former.
It is no secret to families that have deep roots in Centre County that jobs have been "passed down" or "first hired" from one generation to another in the family. So, grandfather worked in so and so department, gets position for father, who gets position for son.... Maybe PSU will break the cycle of favoritism someday, but that is why PSU was the destination workplace for many because they knew they would get a job because their forefathers and mothers were employees of PSU.
That was true in the 1980's, too, when I attended State (even though wife did get a job in what was, at the time, "Personnel" so kinda was an outlier).
Penn State is not the only one making cuts.
The List of Layoffs Sweeping the US: Amazon, Nike, Google, Citi (businessinsider.com)
The List of Layoffs Sweeping the US: Amazon, Nike, Google, Citi (businessinsider.com)
I had a kid on my floor freshman year that wore an embroidered UMass hat all the time. Except he took time to take the stitching out of the M so it read U ***. Every time I hear or see UMass, that’s what I think of.
Sounds like a total Masshole. /s
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