Florida's leadership dithers as state sinks, St Petersburg Times

August 25, 2008

The financial crisis that grips Florida government now knows no modern precedent, but nearly as alarming as the plunging forecasts are the numbingly casual reactions in the capital. As schools and universities and courts and hospitals fall into a deepening budgetary sinkhole, state officials are offering little more than shallow platitudes.

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UF President responds to faculty union, TV20 WCJB

May 7, 2008

University of Florida President Bernie Machen responded to the claim that the school's budget cuts violate the Faculty Union's collective bargaining agreement at the Community Campus Council breakfast Wednesday morning. His message: It's too late to complain.In a room full of community leaders and deans from various colleges on campus, Machen explained why the proposed $47 million budget cuts and the elimination of 430 jobs on campus are necessary. "The only thing that's a little disappointing is everyone had the chance to have input," said Machen," and some groups elected to sit aside and not have input. If you don't have input when you're given a chance to, you have a poor position to come in at the end and criticize what has been done."

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Greater than the sum of its parts, Inside Higher Education

June 25, 2008

It’s been a bad year for German programs. The University of Southern California is eliminating its department. A graduate program at the University of Florida is alive, but facing an admissions freeze and future scrutiny.

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FAU exercised great care in budget-cutting process, Treasure Coast Palm

Letter to the editor
June 23, 2008

Florida Atlantic University is facing the tightest budget year in its 44-year history. The university has had to absorb a record-high $18.6 million in state-funding cutbacks over a two-year period, necessitating a detailed review of all expenditures. Very difficult decisions had to be made about identifying areas in which budget reductions should be made.

President Frank Brogan chose to take a collaborative approach to this process, appointing a university-wide task force to examine all aspects of FAU's operations. In accordance with the university's strategic plan, the focus of the task force was on preserving the institution's core function — the delivery of top-quality higher-education services to its 26,000 degree-seeking students. The proposed budget for the 2008-09 academic year achieves that goal while instituting departmental cuts university-wide, from the president's office on down.

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