For background and context, please see http://leiterreports.typepad.com/ NEWSFLASH: the Vice-Rector has resigned. Let's hope that Rector Dragass [sic] resigns too.
That's too much and not enough at the same time. We really need a decent summary.
UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
51–60 of 133 posts
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#52Additional backstory: the revolt of the faculty is due to the Board wanting to close marginal academic departments at the University. Further backstory: the expenditures of the academic division at UVA have increased about 80% since 2001. Enrollment has only increased 9%. In-state tuition has increased about 275%. I'm not a UVA alum, but I grew up in Virginia, so I care about what happens at UVA. UVA's faculty can wa…
What about the change in money brought in due to research done (aka the main revenue generator for academic institutions)?
Also, do you have a source for the 80% growth?
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#53Apologies in advance for the off-topic comment. But in looking for more information on this story, I read http://hamptonroads.com/2012/06/amid-uproar-uva-moves-replac... the Virginian Pilot. Which is not the item.
The item is: I have never in my life read such civilized and respectful comments from blog or newspaper readers who clearly disagree with each other on an important issue. My goodness! Is this a regular feature of Southern U.S. life?
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#54Additional backstory: the revolt of the faculty is due to the Board wanting to close marginal academic departments at the University. Further backstory: the expenditures of the academic division at UVA have increased about 80% since 2001. Enrollment has only increased 9%. In-state tuition has increased about 275%. I'm not a UVA alum, but I grew up in Virginia, so I care about what happens at UVA. UVA's faculty can wa…
What about the change in money brought in due to research done (aka the main revenue generator for academic institutions)? Also, do you have a source for the 80% growth?
UVA 2000-2001 budget: http://www.virginia.edu/budget/Docs/Budget%20Summaries/summa... (p. 4)
UVA 2011-2012 budget: http://www.virginia.edu/budget/Docs/Budget%20Summaries/2011-... (p. 1, 15)
Note that the 2000-2001 budget lists only the UVA academic division, while p. 1 of the 2011-2012 budget includes the UVA medical center. The academic division is broken down on p. 15 of that budget. Thus the pie charts on p. 1 of the first pdf correspond to the pie charts on p. 15 of the second.
At UVA, sponsored programs (i.e. research grants) make up only a quarter of the budget. Tuition and fees and state appropriations make up almost half. From 2001 to 2012, sponsored program revenues are up 60%, but not nearly enough to cover the 80% increase in expenditures. The other revenue sources haven't kept pace with spending growth either. Of the $590m in additional spending, $276m (or about half) has been supported by tuition increases.
Another way to look at it is that if spending had kept pace with inflation (2.5%) and enrollment growth (0.7%), tuition could have been easily held at 2001 levels. Or, alternatively, had tuition revenues increased to track inflation and enrollment growth, university expenditures could have increased a more modest 50% given the growth in other sources of funding, rather than 80% which was achieved by almost tripling tuition.
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#55To be clear, this isn't some random professor: My wife (Anita Jones) and I are in Computer Science and we both hold the title University Professor — the highest rank at UVa. Of the 3300 faculty at UVa, roughly 13 hold that title.
He may be impressive, but he also sounds like an entitled baby boomer who thinks he should get more and more tuition dollars from young people in the name of "academic freedom." His resignation letter is devoid of even a sop to the budget crisis that has forced the Board to cut departments in lieu of raising tuition beyond the 275% the University has raised it in the last decade.
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#56Apologies in advance for the off-topic comment. But in looking for more information on this story, I read http://hamptonroads.com/2012/06/amid-uproar-uva-moves-replac... the Virginian Pilot. Which is not the item. The item is: I have never in my life read such civilized and respectful comments from blog or newspaper readers who clearly disagree with each other on an important issue. My goodness! Is this a regular fea…
Edit: Sorry, getting frustrated by the other comments about the south. It's nothing to do with your comment.
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#57Apologies in advance for the off-topic comment. But in looking for more information on this story, I read http://hamptonroads.com/2012/06/amid-uproar-uva-moves-replac... the Virginian Pilot. Which is not the item. The item is: I have never in my life read such civilized and respectful comments from blog or newspaper readers who clearly disagree with each other on an important issue. My goodness! Is this a regular fea…
Virginia -- particularly Charlottesville and Richmond -- is not some Southern stereotype.
That being said, I think the people most interested in this news are those with vested interests in Virginia higher education -- alums, donors, etc. -- and that tends to raise the average level of discourse.
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#58Apologies in advance for the off-topic comment. But in looking for more information on this story, I read http://hamptonroads.com/2012/06/amid-uproar-uva-moves-replac... the Virginian Pilot. Which is not the item. The item is: I have never in my life read such civilized and respectful comments from blog or newspaper readers who clearly disagree with each other on an important issue. My goodness! Is this a regular fea…
Virginia -- particularly Charlottesville and Richmond -- is not some Southern stereotype. That being said, I think the people most interested in this news are those with vested interests in Virginia higher education -- alums, donors, etc. -- and that tends to raise the average level of discourse.
Most of the south isn't a southern stereotype. The DC metro is more like a new england city than either of the two you mentioned. This paper is based out of southeastern VA, in the VA Beach and Norfolk area.
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#59Apologies in advance for the off-topic comment. But in looking for more information on this story, I read http://hamptonroads.com/2012/06/amid-uproar-uva-moves-replac... the Virginian Pilot. Which is not the item. The item is: I have never in my life read such civilized and respectful comments from blog or newspaper readers who clearly disagree with each other on an important issue. My goodness! Is this a regular fea…
The comments found in that post you linked to is indeed a "breath of fresh air" to read through in the sense that differentiating opinions can still hold respect one for another.
Thanks for sharing this. I found it very encouraging.
Re: UVA Computer Science professor resigns over incompetence of board
#60To be clear, this isn't some random professor: My wife (Anita Jones) and I are in Computer Science and we both hold the title University Professor — the highest rank at UVa. Of the 3300 faculty at UVa, roughly 13 hold that title.
He may be impressive, but he also sounds like an entitled baby boomer who thinks he should get more and more tuition dollars from young people in the name of "academic freedom." His resignation letter is devoid of even a sop to the budget crisis that has forced the Board to cut departments in lieu of raising tuition beyond the 275% the University has raised it in the last decade.
He may be impressive, but he also sounds like an entitled baby boomer who thinks he should get more and more tuition dollars from young people in the name of "academic freedom."
Source?
Sounds like his entire complaint is about the BOV. I don't see anything in the letter that would give you a different impression about the professor's complaint.