The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Blue Sky Taskforce released the report with proposed changes to the college to respond to financial hardship. 

“As you might imagine the university and the colleges continue to be faced with daunting challenges,” said Michael Whiteford, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in his letter to the remainder of the college.

“Although strong student enrollments and increased indirect cost returns on grants have buffered us from the full impact of the decline in state support, for fiscal years 2010, 2011 and 2012, this college will have surrendered $13.55 million. As part of that process, our college has given up 62 faculty lines, many [professional and scientific] and merit staff positions and [more than] $1 million in graduate assistantships.”

Also released this week as part of a letter from Whiteford to the rest of the college was a draft of a proposal to create a new unit within the social sciences department, as well as two additional proposals looking at the creation of an interdisciplinary doctorate program related to units discussed in the draft of the original proposal.

Whiteford was adamant in his reassurance that none of the proposals represent any official decisions and that the released proposals and ideas were simply suggestions from the faculty and staff of the college.

“Now that you have received these reports, our next steps will be public discussions involving faculty, staff and students,” Whiteford wrote in his letter. “We welcome additional ideas that will help us focus as we downsize. We expect to formulate specific plans for the future and begin the process of approval and implementation by the end of spring semester. We do not have the luxury of inaction.”

Three open forums are currently scheduled to discuss the Blue Sky report, the additional proposals and the general financial future of the college.

Whiteford’s letter, along with the Blue Sky report and the additional proposals, can be found online on the LAS website.