Message from UFF-UF President John Biro:
President Machen insists that spending reserve funds, as the Legislature and Board of Governors expects universities to do to make up for the one-time cut made to their budgets, is “not a viable option for UF”. Alone among SUS institutions, UF has chosen instead to resort to draconian cuts that will inevitably lower the quality of the education it can offer.

The administration also refuses to impose an across-the-board freeze on hiring. You may be interested to learn that last Friday’s Chronicle of Higher Education listed 108 searches by UF. (For comparison, FIU had 2, FSU 1, USF 1, UCF 1, FAU 1, UNF 1, FAMU 1, FGCU 1, UWF 0).

Equally disheartening is the continuing favor shown to administrators, even as faculty and staff are pressed to do more with less. Large salary increases have gone to a number of associate deans and members of the central administration administrators, with Provost Glover’s 2011 raise of $50,000 setting the tone. (See the links below.)

UFF-UF will continue to support the coalition that has recently and spontaneously formed among faculty, staff and students to oppose these short-sighted and callous policies. It has called for a General Assembly to Save UF on May 23rd. I hope we can count on you to add your voice.

Visit SaveUF.org or on Facebook Save UF! Spend the Reserves.

NOTES
According to UF’s published administration salaries, Provost Glover made $300,000 in 2010 http://www.afn.org/~afscme/0310salaries.pdf (p. 5) In 2011, Glover’s salary went up to $350,000. http://www.ir.ufl.edu/factbook/v-14_salaries.pdf (p. 5)