May 14, 2008 9:49 am US/Eastern
UF Formally Approves $47-Million In Budget Cuts
GAINESVILLE (CBS News) ―
University of Florida officials in Gainesville on Wednesday approved the recommendations of laying off faculty and other staff members, as well as reducing student enrollment in its most recent budget cut of $47-million.
Board of Trustees said it will go ahead and lay off 20 faculty members and 118 staff members, leaving 290 empty positions unfilled, reducing research
and enrollment by 1,000 students a year."Our priority is to protect the quality and education at the University of Florida," President Bernie Machen said earlier this month. "But clearly, we cannot take reductions this large without making difficult choices."
UF's general revenue budget is $69-million less than it was a year ago.
The university also plans to reduce undergraduate enrollment by 4,000 over the next four years, including decreasing transfer students by 1,000 for next year. Machen said reduction will help maintain the faculty-student ratios.
Machen said the goal of becoming one of the top 10 research universities in the country may be delayed by the budget woes and he fears qualified faculty may leave for greener pastures after two years without a pay raise.
Florida's 11 public universities -- of which UF is the largest -- are all facing tough budget times that included cuts from the legislature.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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