The departments of religion, geological sciences, and communication sciences and disorders would see substantial cuts and faculty layoffs under a budget proposal unveiled Wednesday by College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Paul D'Anieri.
D'Anieri presented the proposed CLAS budget cuts to about 350 people in the Reitz Union Auditorium.
The cuts, which total about $9.3 million, would bring the CLAS budget to about $86 million, down from $108 million in 2006-2007.
His proposal includes the elimination of the equivalent of about 103 full-time positions.
Of those, 37 are positions that would be vacated by people retiring or quitting, D'Anieri said.
D'Anieri is the first dean to release a proposal that outlines a plan to implement the 10 percent cuts UF President Bernie Machen requested. Machen asked all colleges and administrative units to make in anticipation of a possible reduction of $72 to $75 million in state funding in 2009-2010.
But UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said UF's cut could be even larger than that. As a result of the new revenue projections released by state economists Friday, UF's budget cut could be as big as $84 million, Sikes said.
She said that estimate, however, doesn't take into account possible mitigating factors like the economic stimulus package.
D'Anieri presented his proposed cuts in ten tiers, with the first tiers representing cuts that would be less devastating than those in later tiers.
The first three tiers would not involve any faculty or staff layoffs.
The fourth and fifth tiers would involve laying off some staff and faculty, including graduate assistants.
The eighth tier would cut the budget of the geological sciences department by about half, according to chairman Michael Perfit.
The ninth tier would take a big chunk out of the department of communication sciences and disorders, while the tenth tier would remove about 65 percent of the funding for the department of religion, according to chairwoman Narayanan Vasudha.
The chairs of each of the three departments defended their units at the presentation.
"The academic study of religion is crucial to understand the diversity of society, our society,
the history of our country and the world," Vasudha said. "It is unthinkable that a university of UF's caliber would be without a strong department of religion."
D'anieri said each of the departments being considered for large cuts are strong departments and said he hoped the cuts don't happen.
If they do, he said he would work with the departments to try to ensure that every student would be able to finish his or her degree.
He also said he looked forward to public comment on the proposals and stressed that nothing is set in stone.
"These are just a draft of my proposals," he said.
"I fully expect them to change over the next several weeks."
