Dive Brief:
- University of Maine System trustees agreed Friday to cut the University of Southern Maine's applied medical sciences graduate and French undergraduate programs as the school faces a $16 million budget gap for the 2015-16 academic year.
- The trustees' vote to cut the programs was in spite of four hours of “passionate testimony” opposing the cuts, the Portland Press Herald reported.
- The chairman of the trustees, Samuel Collins, said the board had to “plug the hole before the ship sinks.”
Dive Insight:
University of Southern Maine President David Flanagan warned that other Maine colleges will be facing the same financial issues and cuts eventually, calling the University of Southern Maine “the canary in the coal mine.” According to Flanagan, cutting the two programs along with 50 faculty positions across several departments will save $6 million. The remaining $10 million budget gap will be covered by cutting other staff and administrative jobs, plus undergoing an academic reorganization.
