30 faculty members to lose jobs at BGSU

11/25/2013

Bowling Green State University plans to not renew 30 full-time faculty members in response to budget shortfalls.

University Provost Rodney Rogers announced the planned action today in a message to BGSU staff. Full-time, non-tenure track professors must be notified about their contract status for the next academic year. Mr. Rogers told staff that of the 260 non-tenure track faculty, 30 would not have their contracts renewed.

"These are difficult decisions, and similar decisions have been made that impact other areas of the University," he wrote. "But we must be disciplined and committed to preserving our educational mission while living within the constraints of our new budget realities."

The university announced last month the need for large budget cuts because of a deficit projected to be between $3 million to $10 million over the next several years. President Mary Ellen Mazey said at the time that the shortfall will be covered with budget cuts, not tuition hikes, and seemed to reiterate that point in a Friday message, in which she said that BGSU must "face the realities of the budget situation, balancing the need to keep a BGSU degree affordable and a great value to our students."

The university hired consulting firm Accenture for $500,000 to audit BGSU’s operations, evaluate programs, and identify cost-saving measures. The company’s report will be released Dec. 11, Ms. Mazey said.

Mr. Rogers alluded to both a small freshman class this year and changes in state funding in his message about BGSU's "current budget realities." He also noted a university commitment to raise full-time faculty salaries to market rates.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com, or 419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.