It’s a pivotal week in the process that has been ongoing for more than a year to determine how best to rein in expenses at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
On January 16 Chancellor Frank D. Gilliam Jr. and Provost Debbie Storrs will hear recommendations from UNCG’s deans on which programs should be eliminated.
University officials say cuts are being forced in part by a decline in enrollment, which has dropped by more than 2,000 students in the last five years. Gilliam says the need to discontinue some programs is more than just a reaction to the current state of things.
“All the decisions we make are not only for today, but really to put the university on sound academic and financial footing for the next couple of decades," he says. "It is really a forward looking process.”
The planned program cuts have led to student protests and pushback from many faculty members.
An outside financial consultant hired by UNCG’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors determined that the budget issues were largely the result of overspending on administration and sports.
Gilliam says he can’t predict what the deans will recommend. He will make the final decision on which programs to eliminate on February 1.
University officials will then begin a process to wind them down. Any student enrolled in an eliminated program will be allowed to complete their degree.