Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 22, 1995 TAG: 9509220079
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
"We want to ensure faculty involvement, making sure that we get their full input into decisions about budget reductions," Covington said in a speech at a Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting.
The cuts, made necessary by an unexpected decrease in enrollment this fall, amount to $1 million or 2 percent of the 1995-96 budget. By law, a state university cannot end a year in the red.
That cuts were going to be necessary came as no surprise to faculty members. But several professors said Wednesday they were surprised that Covington had chosen which cuts would be made without waiting for more input from them.
The budget shortfall was a situation where action had to be taken immediately, Covington said Thursday. That was part of what he hoped to explain to the faculty members.
"I want to assure them that we want their input, unless it's a crisis that we have to make a decision instantly," he said. "It's one of those situations where we have to take a position. The more you wait, the more you encumber funds and the more you limit your options."
The closed meeting lasted several hours.
Faculty Senate leaders were in other meetings afterward and could not be reached for comment.
Covington said the budget savings will be realized by eliminating courses with low enrollments next semester and thereby reducing the need for adjunct faculty. The university also will reduce administrative department budgets, delay renovation projects, curtail professional travel, and extend a hiring freeze for classified and administrative staff.
The plan preserves raises averaging 2.25 percent and scheduled to start Dec. 1. "My concern was trying to follow through with plans to award salary increases. Beyond that, I want to be as flexible as we can," Covington said.
Faculty Senate representatives had met with the administration Sept. 8 to discuss possible budget cuts, but left with the understanding that they would be able to recommend later where cuts might be made. All faculty members contacted Wednesday seemed surprised at Covington's letter issued earlier that day outlining the cuts.
Covington, who took over the president's post this summer, said that normally a university vice president meets with a group like the Faculty Senate representatives, and acts as a conduit, bringing the views back to the president's cabinet. But he decided to meet with the Faculty Senate group Thursday because of what he called a misunderstanding about the budget cuts.
"When this happens, I think it's incumbent upon me to intercede," he said. "We're all adjusting to each other and adjusting to a governance structure that's a little different than what we've been used to."
Before Covington took over, Donald Dedmon served as Radford's president for more than 20 years.
Fall enrollment at Radford was 8,687 this year, 418 less than last fall's figure.
"We think that we can reverse that trend. ... We want to boost our enrollment," Covington said during the chamber meeting. "We want to do that without sacrificing academic qualities."
He said a wider representation among ages, socio-economic backgrounds, places of residence and races will be emphasized in student recruiting, but high standards for incoming students will be maintained. "We feel that there's value in diversity and we want to put our emphasis on that," he said.
Among his other goals for Radford, he said, are strengthening the existing academic program, adding new degree programs, and reorganizing the administrative structure to become more democratic in decision-making.
It is important to involve faculty members in that decision-making, he said, so "they feel that it's their plan or our plan and not Covington's plan." A true democracy is probably not workable in running a university, he said, but he wants to share decision-making as much as possible.
Other plans include extended hours for classes including evenings and weekends for students who commute, and establishing class sites off campus, he said. He also plans to work with community colleges to ease the ability of students to transfer to Radford after they get two-year associate degrees.
by CNB