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Jour 305
Speech story
Washington State University prepares its students and faculty for another round of budget cuts in this continuing troublesome economic climate.
“You may not like what we are going to say,” university President Elson S. Floyd said initiating his university address. “This is by far the most difficult address I have had to deliver as a university president.”
The difficulty comes from over $50 million in budget cuts the university has faced over the past 16 months. The university has already cut $13.5 million this year and will now have to find a way cut another $11.2 million in the coming months.
Floyd said the decisions he will be forced to make in coming months will not be easy or popular among students or faculty. The theatre and German departments have already been victim of these immense budget reallocation efforts.
Floyd has made administrative cuts as well by eliminating three of his nine Vice Presidents. “Everything is on the table, everything is at risk” Floyd said.
Audience member Dr. Aldrich voiced concern to President Floyd about where the cuts are to be made. Aldrich said, “You mentioned our excellence in multiple areas whether it be education or research. Are we talking about across the board cuts or cutting of whole departments?”
“Cutting equally across all departments promotes mediocrity and that is not something our university represents,” Floyd said. Floyd wants departments that remain intact to be able to operate at optimum efficiency and cutting a little from each department does not allow any department to perform at its best.
The budget cuts have forced the university to raise tuition by 14 percent and plan to do so again next year. Making the higher education even less practical for the record setting amount of students recently enrolled to the university.
Floyd said raising tuition every time the university loses funds is not a sustainable plan to fill budget voids.
Floyd said he is tired of defending his position to legislature and stakeholders to remain faithful to funding WSU. Floyd said that even in this unrelenting economic climate we as a university are still providing crucial research to benefit not only the vitality of the state but of the country as well.
Presenting WSU’s economic value to legislators is Floyd’s plan to receive more funds from the state.
“That seems to have been the plan for years and it doesn’t seem to be working,” said professor Bill Conda.
Floyd said in previous years it has been the sole responsibility of the president to communicate the benefits of the university to state legislature. Floyd instead plans to use all high-ranking university officials to help prove to the state that we deserve more funding. The idea being that multiple voices speak louder than one.
It is obvious that WSU has had some bad luck when it comes to state funds. However, Floyd wanted to stress to the audience that despite this merciless economic crisis the university will not only make it through the storm but will emerge from it a stronger and more prestigious institution.
Sources
Elson S. Floyd
Email: PresidentsOffice@wsu.edu
Dr. Aldrich
Email: Aldrich@wsu.edu
Bill Conda
Email: Bconda@wsu.edu
Outline
I. University budget cuts
II. Current state of university departments
-What has been affected already.
III. Where future cuts will be made.
-Audience reaction
IV. Floyd’s plan for obtaining more funds from federal and state legislature.
V. Wrap up
Question for Speaker
-What departments are at stake for termination?
-Will our research quality and benefits really help the university acquire more funds from the government?
-When do you foresee our university coming out of this budget crisis?
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