A Student Vision For a Better UVM
I love the University of Vermont — the wonderful people, the diligent, enthusiastic faculty, and the countless individuals that strive to make this world a better place on a daily basis. Yet, I find my love for this beautiful place waning, as UVM administration’s reckless decision making and lack of adequate foresight threatens the future of our beloved university. In recent weeks, UVM administration has threatened the livelihood of our faculty with regressive cuts, gaslit opposing voices, lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of student belongings, and developed a reopening plan that completely failed to consider the needs and interests of all parties involved. If this is our president’s vision for the future, count me out.
The administration has continuously claimed that these measures are in response to financial desperation. However, a simple independent evaluation of the university financial situation paints an entirely different picture. Merely days after President Garimella sent an email to students detailing the university financial situation, the administration authorized a fifteen million dollar investment into two separate offshore private equity hedge funds. Furthermore, the university maintains a thirty million dollar minimum liquidity target as a part of its endowment — the objective of which is to “ensure that the University operates with an adequate level of institutional liquidity to minimize risk associated with temporary, unforeseen liquidity needs.” These are certainly unforeseen circumstances — which should warrant investment into our university, rather than the pockets of our administrators.
Despite the depravity of the situation, I choose to remain optimistic. It’s July 6th, which means that there is nearly two months to fix this situation and ensure a prosperous future for the university that we all call home. So how do we fix this?
Shared Governance
First and foremost, there needs to be shared governance. That means having adequate representation for both students and faculty in ANY further decision making. Students and faculty will carry the burden of any consequences that result from administration’s reckless decision making. As such, students and faculty should have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions that will directly affect them. Article 7 of the recently expired faculty CBA calls for representation in decision making and shared governance by faculty — a promise that has not been honored. The foundation of our university is its educational mission, a mission that is furthered by our wonderful faculty. We cannot expect to build a better UVM without first considering the needs and interests of those who constitute the backbone of our university.
Instructional Expenditures
President Garimella hopes for UVM to achieve R1 status (a category of high ranking universities that invest heavily in both research and education) — an aspiration that I admire. Yet, his recent actions are indicative of an individual that values his own self interests over the interests of the UVM community. When you look past his twisted rhetoric, it is blatantly obvious that his actions do not mirror his aspirations.
That being said, I chose to do my own research to better understand how UVM can adjust its budget to align with those of other R1 universities. In conducting my research, I chose to evaluate the budgets of 20 universities of similar size for which financial information was readily available. The universities chosen were:
A simple evaluation of R1 university budgeting shows that UVM’s priorities are out of line. The most significant disparity between UVM and comparable R1 universities was found to be in instructional spending. On average, the 20 universities of comparable size allocate 29.9% of their budgets to instruction, while UVM only allocates 26.589% of its budget to instruction. The only universities of these 20 to allocate a lesser percentage of their budgets to instructional spending are Montana State University and the University of Virginia. However, both of these disparities can be explained by higher than average investment into research, with each allocating in excess of 20% of their operating budget to research, a number that dwarfs UVM’s 13.6% allocation towards research.
That being said, if UVM administrators have ANY intention of achieving R1 status, we MUST invest in instruction. In order to meet the standard set by other R1 universities, UVM would need to invest an additional $22,550,731 into instructional endeavors. That means retaining ALL faculty, ending the hiring freeze, and leveraging available funding to expand and diversify our educational opportunities.
Furthermore, we must ensure that all faculty earn both a liveable wage and requisite job security. Over the last decade, UVM administration has not only contributed to the bloating of our universities highest paid individuals, but also has made significant cuts to tenure track positions, leaving many faculty without necessary job security. Since 2010, after adjusting for inflation, the average salary of the Top 10 and Top 50 earners at UVM has increased by 43.7% and 15.3% respectively. Meanwhile the average salary of a UVM employee has DECREASED by 2.1%. Additionally, the percentage of non-tenure track faculty has increased from 55.21% to 65.38%, leaving a larger portion of faculty without necessary job security and vulnerable to job and pay cuts. These trends MUST stop.
Faculty Diversity
Perhaps just as significantly, UVM maintains one of the lowest levels of faculty diversity in the country and is dwarfed by the diversity present at comparable R1 universities. UVM’s 82.1% employment of white faculty is significantly above the R1 average of 74.51%. Black faculty account for only 2.2% of UVM’s employed faculty, well below that R1 average of 9.37%, and the lowest mark among any of the universities studied. UVM’s employment of other minority groups remains below the average as well. We MUST prioritize the employment of minority faculty, as a more diverse learning community not only provides additional opportunity for minority students, but also ensures a well-rounded university with students educated by individuals of ALL backgrounds.
Covid-19 Reopening Plan
In honoring UVM’s “commitment” to shared governance, a plan MUST be developed that takes into account the needs and concerns of all students and faculty. Piecemealing a plan that fails to address these needs and concerns is not beneficial to ANYONE. The health of our community should be paramount, and all parties involved should have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions that directly affect them. This means providing students with adequate time to make difficult decisions, taking into account student financial hardships, considering faculty health concerns, and ensuring that the educational quality does not waiver despite difficult circumstances.
State Appropriation
As UVM is set to receive in excess of 28 million dollars from the state of Vermont, we must ensure that this money is spent in a way that furthers the university’s educational mission. That means both investing in the priorities outlined above, but also proving UVM’s value to the state of Vermont. When compared to other R1 universities, UVM receives significantly less state funding than any other R1 university. On average, R1 universities derive 22.6% of their operating budgets from state appropriations, while UVM’s state appropriation accounts for only 6.3% of its operating budget. That being said, we cannot simply expect to receive a higher allocation without proving our worth to the state. The state of Vermont is currently facing problems due to an aging population, and UVM is in a perfect situation to be a part of the solution. By engaging in the priorities outlined above, UVM can foster a rich and diverse academic community that incentivizes graduates to pursue opportunities in Vermont. Doing so would be mutually beneficial for both the state and the university, and would pave a path for UVM to receive additional state funding.
That being said, ignoring student voices, cutting faculty, and imparting regressive austerity measures is NOT a reasonable path forward if UVM expects to receive any additional state appropriation.
We have a unique opportunity to establish UVM as a leader among institutions of higher education. It’s time to take advantage of that opportunity. We MUST engage in shared governance, invest in our education, and ensure a just reopening plan that doesn’t threaten the long term stability of our wonderful community. The recent actions of UVM administration have been disheartening and destructive, but there is still time for an amicable solution — one that puts the interests of our students and faculty first, and prioritizes a long term plan for viability and prosperity. We MUST act.
