Florida A&M U. to Cut 242 Jobs in Restructuring

April 8, 2011, 12:04 pm

Despite protest from students and some faculty members, the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees unanimously approved a restructuring plan on Thursday that will eliminate 242 positions and some two dozen programs. Florida A&M’s Web site offers several tips for workers who lose their jobs, including this advice: “Try not to stress about being laid off.”

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me_iudice

The web site has another tip: “Try to relax and enjoy by doing some of the things you haven’t had a chance to do.” Really? Do the people who write these things ever READ them?
supertatie

Hahaha! Yeah, right. Like, file for unemployment, contemplate bankruptcy, hire a realtor, put most of what you own up for sale on eBay and Craigslist, rewrite your resume, apply for positions at Starbucks or the local grocery store.

I’ve been through this twice, and it left very little time for “enjoyment” of any sort.
amcneece

Take your yacht out for a long cruise; wax your Mercedes; renew your membership in the polo club. That should take your mind off being unemployed!
old nassau’67

Among the programs eliminated are the football and basketball programs. The millions spent on coaches and facilities will be placed into the general fund for the benefit of all FAMU students. The stadiums will be converted into classrooms.
cwinton

It was my understanding that the restructuring was needed to free up funds to renovate the athletic facilities and hire additional assistant coaches for men’s football and basketball so FAMU can position itself as a BCS competitor. It is not yet known how many new assistants can be hired since the salaries are expected to be well over $100K each.
dxg197

What do teachers have to do to earn tenure? The process in higher education is very rigorous and many people don’t make it. If it is quick and easy in K-12 (automatically given after 2 years in some states) then you can’t really make a comparison. Make tenure difficult or impossible for bad teachers and you’ll see a lot less calls to abolish it.
Chandra Friend Montoya

Speaking as a high school teacher, I can tell you that the conditions vary dramatically from district to district. In mine (a large Bay Area district), only a sketch of the curriculum is dictated from district level, and there is a distinct aversion to teaching to the test(s). And it has been repeatedly demonstrated that it is possible to remove ineffective teachers — the stumbling block is always the large amount of time and effort demanded of the site administrators (who are also responsible for everything else that happens at the school).
Chandra Friend Montoya

I’d like to offer an explanation. Most teachers do not reach peak effectiveness until they have been in the classroom for 5-7 years. It is to the benefit of students that they have experienced educators. Believe it or not, the unions do also care about the kids!