Previous Postings
April 18, 2012
Budget reductions & reallocations
The Commonwealth appropriation to Pitt for FY 2012 represented a cut of 22% ($40M) from 2011; in January 2012, Gov. Corbett proposed another $40M in cuts to the 2013 appropriation, plus elimination of funding from the tobacco settlement targeted for research (raising the proposed cuts to ~$50M). Gov. Corbett claims that 40% of the Commonwealth budget goes to education and that he has few other places to cut, while refusing to consider options for revenue increases. Future budget projections for Pennsylvania do not look good (e.g., pension liabilities are projected to escalate from $500M this year to $1B next year). This is the time to make the case for the value of higher education, and the University is working in 3 areas: advocacy, preparation for another reduction to the Commonwealth appropriation, & alternative avenues for revenue generation. Letters to the editor, op-ed pieces, and related forms of communication to the public are encouraged. See http://www.keeppittpublic.pitt.edu/ (also accessible from Pitt home page) and http://www.keeppittpublic.pitt.edu/faculty for suggestions particularly aligned to faculty.
Over the past four years, Pitt has engaged in active cost-cutting, essentially removing $175M through cost containment and targeted reductions. There remains little to be found through traditional, across-the-board cuts. We need to assure that we are getting the most out of our available resources, and need to assure that everyone contributes fully to the overall mission of the School and university.
The Provost’s office has asked each school to provide specific benchmark measures against which progress on our strategic plans can be gauged. I have annotated our plan with such benchmarks and reviewed them with Vice Provost Juan Manfredi. The annotated plan is available here.
The University administration continues to work proactively to address the issues related to the bomb threats received on a nearly daily basis. Please pay particular attention to information distributed through alternate channels for guidance on issues including final exams, grades, satisfactory academic progress, academic probation, and commencement.
The Middle States reaccreditation visiting committee completed their site visit on Saturday, April 14. Judging from the oral report of the committee to the Chancellor, Provost, and Deans, I would conclude that the visit was quite successful. The official report from the committee should be available later this summer.
Larry Feick (UCIS) has been working on developing Pitt’s Global initiatives and reported on progress at the last Council of Deans meeting. Software for international travel registration for faculty, staff, and graduate students is currently in beta test; a decision support system is being developed to support current activities in which the university is engaged globally; and study-abroad initiatives now include programs in 65 countries (e.g., panther programs, exchange programs, and those offered by 3rd party providers). Pitt aspires to send 2000 students abroad each year. This would place Pitt among the top 40 institutions for study abroad. Pitt currently sends around 1450 students per year on international travel.
Health & Safety Assessment of SIS Building
Jay Frerotte (Pitt Department of Environmental Health and Safety) conducted an air quality assessment of the SIS building at my request. This was done to measure levels of mold and mildew spores in the air handling facilities. The results of the analysis are available here.