FROM:  Mary Spilde

DATE:   February 20, 2002

RE:   Budget

Today will be a very difficult day for everyone at Lane.  Many faculty and staff will hear that their programs are being reduced or eliminated and many will hear that their position is being eliminated.  While we will be as gentle as possible in sharing this information, the impact will still be huge.  I ask that you do what you can to support your colleagues today and in the next few weeks.
  
It has been an intense process to get us to the point of these recommendations. The Criteria Application Work Group (CAWG) completed their work on February 11.  This group worked long and hard to review all the information that had been submitted by departments and divisions and then submitted a list of recommendations for reductions to the Executive Team.  We did not ìreworkî what the CAWG did but we did dig a little deeper to ensure that we had accurate information.  We also reviewed each item in light of the college mission and to assure that we had reasonable balance across elements of the mission and within the different components of the mission. This resulted in the Executive Teamís preliminary list of recommendations.

Today, the managers and I will be notifying all staff whose positions will be affected.  We are making every effort to notify individuals personally prior to public release of the information.  Since this will last well into the evening, the list of reductions will be released to the college community and the public on Thursday morning.   Beginning on February 21, we will hold forums for feedback on the reductions and dialogue with the board about the reductions. Two of these forums will be for faculty and staff only and two will be open to the public. By March 13 we will finalize the reductions and ask the board to make a decision.  At the same time we will be making a recommendation regarding tuition and fees that may lessen the severity of the cuts.

Obviously, the next few weeks are going to be extremely difficult for everyone at the college.  It will be especially hard for those whose positions are affected and for those who see their programs or services on the list.  There are many individuals who have contributed so much to Lane who will be in a great deal of pain. We will have resources available to help but I think it is most important that we continue to take care of each other while we are going through this tough time.  

I am aware of the fact that the decisions that we make in the next four weeks will have a huge impact on the college and on individual staff members and their families.  Unfortunately we cannot avoid this if we want to position the college to be fiscally healthy in the future.  I am confident that we can get through this time and be a strong, innovative college if we continue to think and work together for what is best for Lane and our students.  I ask that you do your part in helping us through this time.

Thanks.