What is the problem?

•Variation between institutions

•Constantly changing story

•Unnerving uncertainty

•Major life and career implications

What do we have to do? • Your current budget may be bad• You have to make a cut now!• You have to play the shell game for FY10• three possible cuts, probably the middle

one…• Mandates too late to implement

How to plan and implement?

• People are looking for leadership, not panic• Plan in stages– inner circle– advisory groups– open department meetings

• Be inventive• Don’t mortgage your future• Hurry up and wait…

How do you set priorities?

• Teaching, Research, ServiceTeaching, Research, Service

• Programs or positions?Programs or positions?• can’t be separated at many levelscan’t be separated at many levels• preserve tenure track linespreserve tenure track lines• limit VTH impactlimit VTH impact

• Short term survival vs. longer term recoveryShort term survival vs. longer term recovery

• Salary cuts vs. FurloughsSalary cuts vs. Furloughs

Teaching

• Operating budget• State classified position support• CE support• Clinical reasoning• Laboratories: Junior surgery/FADX• Spay / neuter program• Open tenure track positions – surgical oncology, food animal medicine, dairy

production• Special appointment positions

Research

• Operating budget• State classified position support• Graduate student support• ICR re-distribution• Salary savings• Statistics and clinical trials support• Open tenure track positions – surgical oncology, food animal medicine, dairy

production• Special appointment positions

Service

• State classified position support• CE support• Spay / neuter program• Open tenure track positions • Special appointment positions• VTH technician

How do you get help?• Honest cuts, real consequences• Kill your babies before someone elses’s• Communicate, even if you have to demand

it

Communication?

• Department and staff– Often enough, but not too often– Have something real to share

• Higher administration– Involve them, transparency & openness– Ensure they understand costs– Ensure costs are real

Recovery?

• Don’t be paying for botched cuts for 10 years• Preserve your core strength – good faculty• Make cuts you should have made years ago• Re-focus• Preserve your core business’s