Collegiate Times

Budget cuts from the state have Virginia Tech administrators and faculty frantically working to make reductions without sacrificing educational quality.

Among the largest worries related to the budget cuts is the effect on keeping faculty members at Tech. As a result of the cuts, a statewide freeze has been placed on faculty and staff raises.

"It puts Virginia Tech at risk of losing the best faculty," said Jack Davis, dean of the college of architecture and urban studies.  The college of architecture and urban studies lost $680,000 as a result of the latest round of cuts, not including money that would have been used to pay for raises.

Davis noted other schools might take advantage of the freeze to extend offers to faculty members.

"There are a few universities that are not experiencing the severity of these cuts, and they are in position to lure away these faculty," Davis said. "I'm worried about losing the faculty here."

Sue Ott Rowlands, dean of the college of liberal arts and human sciences expressed disappointment about not being able to have faculty raises.

"It's really difficult not to be able to provide salary increases for an entire year or even longer depending on what the state does. We're all faced with an uncertain economy outside of the university," Ott Rowlands said. "We're all kind of holding tight."

The college of liberal arts and human sciences has set a reduction target of $1.8 million for 2009-10. Ott Rowlands added that she was looking into new ways to recognize staff other than raises.

"We've got to find other ways to reward strong performance, and let them know we want them to stay," Ott Rowlands said. One possible idea was to distribute letters of acknowledgement to high achieving faculty members.

Davis also noted the loss of faculty could affect Tech's academic rankings. A recent ranking from Design Intelligence recognized Tech's architecture program as tied with Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Universities for academic quality.

"Rankings are attached to the quality of our faculty," Davis said. "As class sizes get larger, resources are reduced that support these students."

Beyond the risk of faculty defection, programs are also at risk of being cut. One such program is the aquaculture program, which was recently cut because of budget reductions.

"We will have no teaching, research, or extension activities in that area," said Michael Kelly, dean of the college of natural resources. The college of natural resources lost $300,000 from the 2009-10 budget due to the budget cuts.

Davis noted that the full impact of the budget cuts have yet to be seen.

"The real impact of the budget cuts will be felt next year more than this year," Davis said. "Although there were budget cuts this year, we've tried to accommodate those within our operating budgets." Davis added the effects could be more visible next school year.

"We haven't seen a dramatic impact on the size of classes or the number of classes offered," Davis said. "That may be the case next year, with fewer classes offered and larger class sizes for the ones remaining."

Despite the difficult circumstances, Kelly held optimism for the future.

"We just have to go through these things as best we can," Kelly said.