After several rounds of debate, President Jo Ann Gora endorsed the latest recommendation to end Fruesday. As far as her petition to the state to reconsider a proposed $23.4 million budget cut, she won't know until late April if she was successful.
During the University Senate meeting Thursday, Gora interrupted Chairperson Eric Kelly, who was about to introduce the latest proposal for a revised fall calendar.
"I'm the hold up here," she said as she stood. "I'm going to endorse the recommendations of the Senate."
However, the concession came with some stipulations.
"My concern is with the four-day work week," she said. "I'm going to ask for an analysis to be done within a year's time... If it works, then so be it. If it is a problem, then I will probably come back to the Senate with a plan that faculty probably won't mind and students won't like."
The calendar revision Gora approved calls for regular classes on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week and a two-day fall break, either a Monday and Tuesday or a Thursday and Friday. It also calls for regular class to be held the Monday of finals week with four days of exams.
Along with her endorsement, Gora asked for a statistical sample to be compiled after finals week next fall, showing a comparison of how many students had three exams in one day compared to the number of students who had three exams in one day during Fall 2010.
Kelly started the applause that was echoed by others in the room.
During her address to the group, Gora talked about the latest
recommendation for budget cuts to Ball State. The cuts could be as much as $23.4 million, considering recommendations from the Indiana Commission of Higher Education and Gov. Mitch Daniels' recommended 3 percent funding cut for higher education.
Ball State could receive the least amount of merit based funding because of a slight drop in graduation rates between incoming freshmen classes of 2003 and 2005. Efficiency and long-term trends were not considered in ICHE's formula, Gora said.
Another problem, she said, is the legislators that represent Muncie don't serve on the committees that help determine funding for higher education.
"That's problem number one," she said. "If you have family — nieces, nephews in other districts — tell them to talk to their constituents. I say that in a seemingly jocular fashion, but I'm not."
Recently Ball State was promoted from a doctoral/research university to a university with very high research activity, according to the national Carnegie Classification.
Gora said she hopes the new classification will earn the university funding for research, but even so Ball State could still use all the help it can get.
Info:
Proposed Fall Calendar for 2011
Maintain Labor Day as a holiday
Eliminate practice of holding MWF classes on Tuesday of Thanksgiving week (Fruesday)
Two-day fall break on a Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday (dates TBD)
Thanksgiving week: MWF classes meet Monday; TR classes meet Tuesday;
No classes Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Recapture instructional day on Monday of finals week
Four-day finals schedule, Tuesday through Friday (no MWF finals on Tuesday)
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