More than 100 department heads at the City University of New York sign a letter criticizing the university’s handling of the financial crisis
Professors at the City University of New York are furious at the public university system’s handling of its financial crisis — and warn that “detailed” hiring measures will cost it top talent.
the university announced a hiring freeze He cut the budget last month to help plug a deficit fueled by falling enrollment.
It convened a central job review board to examine exceptions to the freeze.
“What we find unacceptable is the manner in which the New York City Central Administration is implementing measures of the economy,” said a letter sent this week to CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez and signed by 110 department heads and others. “Instead of planning in time for financial requirements that have been visible for months if not years, CUNY imposes cuts immediately.”
The cuts were announced months after some CUNY officials did Receive fat increases.
“It’s heartbreaking and frustrating to have this happen From top to bottom clamp Putting the whole process on for no good reason. Can’t we build CUNY, instead of strangling it with fiscal and bureaucratic cuts? said Talia Schaefer, co-executive director of English at the Graduate Center
Larissa Swedell, chair of anthropology at Queen’s College, said the review board was slowing down the recruitment process for candidates and that “with each passing day, we are losing quality candidates to other institutions”.
If the university cannot hire professors, class size could grow or the number of departments could be reduced, said Michael Newman, chair of linguistics and communication disorders at Queen’s College.
“Our colleges and central offices are in the process of seeking cost-saving measures without cutting student services or compromising our academic offerings. It is not unusual in such operations to encounter questions and concerns from faculty and students… This academic year, our class sizes have decreased while The ranks of full-time faculty members have risen and we plan to continue on this path despite budget challenges,” a CUNY spokesperson said.
