Well, we're not too far into the year 2009 yet, but we already have some new phrases ("We're going to be in the Hudson") and some words have made a comeback, like furlough. That's a phrase that hasn't been much in circulation of late. But, but, ... we're hearing it now.
The Daily Tar Heel brings news that the UNC system's chancellor, Erskine Bowles, is asking the legislature for power to institute furloughs of faculty. It's important for faculty to make sacrifices, so I (like most faculty around here) are in favor of this. But like everyone else around, I'm hoping the economy turns around in the near future.
This furlough business seems to be appearing in lots of state schools in addition to the University of North Carolina system--Clemson, the University System of Maryland, Utah State, and Arizona State University. Other schools are preparing for furloughs, for instance, by getting authority from the legislature or trustees for them--like the University of Missouri system.
Next notches on the belts that are being tightened? Increasing teaching loads, increasing student-faculty ratios, increased use of adjunct faculty and non-tenure track faculty, and, of course, fewer tenure slots (not necessarily in that order).
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