KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) has submitted their budget reduction recommendations to UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen.
Near the end of September, UNK announced a budget reduction draft that proposed cutting 30 positions and eliminating degrees like Journalism, Theatre, and Geography.
The FAC was then charged with creating recommendations to the university on reductions. The committee has had discussions with mentioned departments on the proposal and across campus, utilizing data from the UNK Factbook and budget, data from the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Post-Secondary Education, and general input.
The FAC recommended eliminating 15 faculty positions from the following departments:
- Cyber Systems – 2 positions.
- Kinesiology and Sports Sciences – 1 position.
- Art and Design – 1 position.
- Communications – 1 position.
- English – 3.5 positions.
- Mathematics – 2 positions.
- Music, Theatre, and Dance – 2 Music and 1.5 Theatre positions.
- Physics – 1 position.
In addition the FAC recommended reworking(R) or cutting(C) the following programs.
- BT: Business Administration – Business Intelligence Emphasis BS (C)
- CAS: Journalism BA/BS (R)
- CAS: Sports Communication BA/BS (R)
- CAS: Geography 7-12 Teaching Subject Endorsement (C)
- COE: Recreation Management BS (C)
- CAS: Musical Performance Comprehensive in Instrumental Emphasis (R)
- CAS: Music Comprehensive in Business Emphasis (R)
- CAS: Musical Theatre (R)
The FAC stated in their proposal, “UNK Administration ensures that the Board of Regents and the NU President understand that due to UNK budget cuts over the past two decades, UNK is not only very lean but the past cuts have limited UNK’s fiscal flexibility. This means that any additional cuts at UNK will have a more direct effect on the student experience than they have in the past.”
The budget cut is due to a $58 million shortfall that the entire University of Nebraska System is estimated to see by the end of 2024-25. UNK’s piece of the cut is $4.3 million, with $3 million focused on academics.
This is a developing story and more information is to come.
