USF budget panel falls short of goal

Its task was to recommend $12-million in budget cuts. It found only half of that amount.

By Dong-Phuong Nguyen, Times Staff Writer
Published March 4, 2008

TAMPA - In August, a committee of faculty members, staffers and students at the University of South Florida was asked to recommend $12-million in budget cuts in anticipation of a massive money crunch expected to befall the state's universities.

The Budget Priorities Advisory Task Force released its report Monday. It was only able to shave off about half that amount.

The committee suggested restructuring some departments, eliminating others and urging centers and institutes to move toward self-sufficiency.

The process, they said, was neither perfect nor easy.

"We underestimated the difficulty of coming up with $12-million in budget cuts," said Dale Johnson, a committee co-chairman.

The committee based recommendations on narratives by the chairmen of each department, budget office information and office of decision support data.

Members ranked each department in centrality, quality, demand and viability. They also determined the budgetary impact of the recommendations.

It is difficult to put a price on every aspect of academia, said John Ward, also a committee co-chairman. "We attempted to do as good a job as we could," he said.

The report is being considered as the university readies for a $34-million reduction to the academic affairs budget, said senior vice provost Dwayne Smith.

Dong-Phuong Nguyen can be reached at 813 269-5312 or nguyen@sptimes.com

Fast facts: 

See the report

To view the complete report by the Budget Priorities Advisory Task Force, go to: www.acad.usf.edu and click on "Final report of the Budget Priorities Advisory Task Force."

[Last modified March 3, 2008, 23:28:14]