Dear Faculty:
It has recently come to my attention that a KNDO online news story reports that Dr. Libby Street, the university's chief planning officer, said -- in their words, not hers: "with such high budget cuts, the university may have no other choice but to get rid of most of their adjunct professors." What she did say and what I've also told legislators in response to very specific questions that were posed, is that a cut of the size we anticipate would be more than the current budget of our entire adjunct pool. We've also pointed out that these important faculty members teach about 1,400 full-time students every year, roughly the size of our freshman class. We want to make it very clear that the proposed cuts to higher education would come at a terrible price, and this was just one example of the impact.
As I've said to you before, we are still weighing all of our options and considering every means possible to protect valuable faculty and staff. I regret any misunderstanding that the story caused and any discomfort it created for so many of you who serve the university so well.
Jim Gaudino
President