The Academic Planning Committee will hold the last of three scheduled public hearings today to gather feedback on a proposed Phase 2 budget reduction.

The Oct. 21 hearing, which is 3 p.m. and available via Zoom, will include discussion on the proposed elimination of the Masters in Athletics Administration in the College of Business, and the duplicative hospitality, restaurant and tourism management program in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. The university’s broader hospitality, restaurant and tourism management program, housed in the College of Education and Human Sciences, is not included in this proposed reduction.

The budget reduction plan was announced by Chancellor Ronnie Green on Sept. 3. It is part of a larger, two-phase plan to address a $38.2 million shortfall through 2023.

A summary of the Phase 1 budget reductions — which have been enacted — is available here. A complete overview of the proposed Phase 2 budget reductions is available here.

The series of three hearings was to begin Oct. 7, but that session was canceled after donor commitments removed the university’s dance program from budget reduction consideration.

The second hearing, held Oct. 14, gathered feedback on the proposed elimination of the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design.

Each hearing is open to the entire campus community.

To provide testimony during a hearing, individuals must register an intent to appear. The notice is non-binding and any individual or unit that expresses an intent to appear may decline. Individuals will be given five minutes to speak.

Details on how to register an intent to appear are available here.

Guidance on how to testify that a reduction, elimination or reorganization is inadvisable is available in Section V, Criteria of the Procedures to be Invoked for Significant Budget Reallocations and Reductions.The guidance is useful for testimony provided live during a hearing or via written response.

Learn more about the university’s budget reduction process.