The current budget crisis in the United States is affecting the country in myriad ways, but it seems that the budget cuts affect education disproportionately.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The University of Florida in Gainesville recently announced potential cuts due to state budgetary issues.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The University of Florida is the Land and Sea Grant University in Florida and a member of the Association of American Universities (a nonprofit association of 60 U.S. and two Canadian preeminent public and private research universities).\u00c2\u00a0 The University of Florida is also designated as the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcflagship university\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 in the State.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
So how does a University like this approach fundamental science when faced with budgetary cuts?<\/p>\n
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences announced its plans to cut 10% from its budget.\u00c2\u00a0 It targeted three departments: Communication Sciences and Disorders; Religion; and Geology.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 These three departments will take a far larger cut than 10% in order to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpreserve\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 the integrity of other departments.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0In an era of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgreen technology\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, environmental awareness, the need for natural resource management, global climate change and the need to preserve access to freshwater, the thought of decimating a Geology Department borders on insanity.\u00c2\u00a0 This is especially true of a flagship university that sits about 150 feet above sea level in a state where the top three revenue generators are, in order, tourism, agriculture and mining.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 <\/p>\n
When faced with required budget cuts at a land grant university, is the\u00c2\u00a0best\u00c2\u00a0solution really\u00c2\u00a0to cut one department best poised to address problems directly related to the states three biggest income sources?\u00c2\u00a0 For instance:<\/p>\n
— The major mining industry in Florida is phosphate mining.\u00c2\u00a0 Florida produces close to 75% of the phosphate required by US agriculture and nearly 25% of the world phosphate.\u00c2\u00a0 In addition, heavy minerals, particularly those containing titanium (used to make anything white…paints and dyes), are found in a large deposit known as Trail Ridge.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
— Global climate change and sea level rise can affect Floridians disproportionately because of its average elevation.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
— The building of hotels and resorts along the coast that are important to Florida\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s #1 industry of tourism have consequences for coastal erosion and sinkhole development.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
— The growing population in the state has severely stressed groundwater resources to the breaking point.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The plan proposed for the department is to cut all un-tenured faculty, all technical staff who operate and maintain millions of dollars in scientific equipment, and all research staff. This reduces the department to about 10 tenured faculty.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 It should be noted that the final word on these proposed cuts is not in.\u00c2\u00a0 The University could say: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why save even the tenured faculty?\u00c2\u00a0 Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cut the whole department.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Your\u00c2\u00a0first question might be: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, just how good is this department?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a reasonable question as there are sometimes \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdeadbeat departments\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 at Universities.\u00c2\u00a0 That does not seem to be the case here.\u00c2\u00a0 There is at least one member of the National Academy of Sciences, one Distinguished Professor and several who were elected fellows of the Geological Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, and \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmedal winners\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 in those organizations.\u00c2\u00a0 The University is a member of the International Ocean Drilling Program and conducts research on every single continent and in the oceans. Researchers at UF have been featured regularly in top scientific journals like Nature<\/em> and Science<\/em> along with the top disciplinary journals.<\/p>\n This faculty is also interested in primary and secondary education, and has worked with organizations like Florida Citizens for Science to help fight the introduction of pseudoscientific legislation affecting\u00c2\u00a0Florida’s K-12 educational system.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n While technical measures of productivity can be interpreted in many ways, it is clear that the most commonly used measures indicate that Florida researchers are a top-notch group.\u00c2\u00a0 For example, about half of the faculty has h-indices of 20 or higher.\u00c2\u00a0 The h-index looks at how many papers by a particular author have been cited.\u00c2\u00a0 An h-index of 20 means that 20 papers by that author have been cited by others at least 20 times.\u00c2\u00a0 Many of these papers are \u00e2\u20ac\u02dchighly cited\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 papers with citation indices in the hundreds.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Research funding in the department on a per-capita basis (compared to other science departments) is as strong as any of the science departments at UF.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 While the total number of majors and graduate students is lower than other \u00e2\u20ac\u02dchuge\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 science departments, the Geology Department at UF boasts close to 100% employment in the field of Geology.\u00c2\u00a0 While Departments like Psychology and History may boast 10x + the number of majors, very few (if any) of those bachelor degree or master degree students will be employed in their field of training.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Florida geology graduates are recruited before they graduate in an effort to fill a workforce that is underemployed.<\/p>\n This department being proposed for cuts is involved in every area of research and science that affects the state of Florida including water resources, climate change, mining, geological hazards, coastal processes and hydrogeology.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not only involved in these areas, it is a leader in all of them. To cut this department is tantamount to cutting off the hand that feeds Florida.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n The department\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s efforts go beyond traditional education; the faculty at UF is also a leader in educating people about the value of science and why people should support science.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 I know they would appreciate it if you could write to the Dean, Provost and President of the University in support of the department.\u00c2\u00a0 Below is information regarding the department:<\/p>\n Website: http:\/\/www.geology.ufl.edu<\/a><\/p>\n Addresses: Dr. Joseph Glover Dr. Bernie Machen The current budget crisis in the United States is affecting the country in myriad ways, but it seems that the budget cuts affect education disproportionately.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The University of Florida in Gainesville recently announced potential cuts due to state budgetary issues.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 … Continue reading
\nDean Paul D\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Anieri
\nCollege of Liberal Arts and Sciences
\n2014 Turlington Hall
\nP.O Box 117300
\nGainesville FL 32611
\ndanieri@clas.ufl.edu<\/a>
\nP: 352.392.0780
\nF: 352.392.3584<\/p>\n
\nOffice of the Provost and Academic Affairs
\nProvost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
\njglover@aa.ufl.edu<\/a>
\n235 Tigert Hall
\nBox 113175
\nGainesville, FL, 32611-3175
\n352-392-2404<\/p>\n
\nPresident University of Florida
\n226 Tigert Hall
\nPO Box 113150
\nUniversity of Florida
\nGainesville, FL 32611
\nPh: 352-392-1311
\nFax: 352-392-9506<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"