Budget Cutbacks Research Articles

CUTBACK BUDGETING IN FLORIDA: CAUSES, APPROACHES, AND CONSEQUENCES

Structural and cyclical causes of cutbacks in Florida state budgets include growing school enrollment and population; the state's corrections policy and Medicaid spending; an inelastic tax structure coupled with an anti‐tax political culture; and federal mandates, aid reduction, and court decisions. Given these stresses, the 1989 recession and resulting revenue shortfalls triggered a series of adjustments to the budget made up of quick fixes, tax increases, and spending cuts. These actions did not address the structural causes of the shortfall. Thus, Florida emerged from the 1989 recession in a weakened financial condition, with an unreformed revenue structure unable to keep up with economic growth, a public service less able to respond to the increased demands for service created by structural factors outside the state's control, and a physical infrastructure and human capital unprepared to compete in a global economy. The result is long‐term fiscal stress.

On Defining the Nature of Graduate Education

A panel on administering graduate programs at the 1993 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication convention brought together about 20 directors of graduate programs.(1) The purpose of the panel was to examine issues relevant to professionally oriented M.A. programs. What became clear as the discussion progressed was that the directors knew little about graduate programs at other universities but were eager to know more about them. It also was clear that the directors shared many of the same concerns about the state of graduate education. With more than 10,000 students enrolled in more than 160 graduate programs(2) in journalism and mass communication, graduate education has been ignored for too long.Much of the discussion at the AETMC panel focused on curriculum and on the difficulty graduate programs in journalism and mass communication have competing for scarce resources within the academy. In this essay, I address both of these issues as they pertain to professional M.A. and Ph.D. programs. My purpose is not to provide a blueprint for curriculum or to provide a detailed strategy to compete for resources. Rather, it is to suggest ways of dealing with these issues so as to improve the status of our graduate programs. At the heart of my argument is the need to better integrate our graduate programs into the academy and to better prepare our students for their chosen careers. Above all, we need to make our programs central to the educational mission of universities.PROFESSIONAL M.A. PROGRAMSAny program that offers professional training, be it business, law or journalism, is a magnet for criticism.(3) This criticism comes from both inside and outside the academy. From within the academy, professional programs are often considered second-class citizens because they are thought to teach nothing but technical skills and their professors are thought to be practitioners and not scholars.(4) From outside the academy, the professions criticize these programs for not keeping with their needs. Often, this criticism is aimed at professors who are considered to be hopelessly out of touch with the real and who are more interested in conducting arcane research than in teaching students practical skills.The very nature of professional education engenders this type of criticism because it is caught between the demands of the academic world and those of the professional world. There is a need for those of us involved with professional education, especially at the graduate level, to develop strategies for dealing with what appears to be the irreconcilable demands of these two worlds. In short, we need to take the offensive: We should not have to apologize to our colleagues in other disciplines for offering professional training at the graduate level and we should not have to beg the profession's forgiveness for teaching theory.Our first challenge is to educate the university about graduate education in journalism and mass communication. Simply put, our programs are not well understood by our colleagues in other departments, by deans of graduate colleges and by members of the central administration. The consequences of this are dire in times of budget cutbacks and reallocation of resources.One problem is that our students often don't measure up when compared with graduate students in more traditional disciplines. Our students' undergraduate grade point averages and combined scores on the Graduate Record Exam often don't compare favorably with those of typical students in graduate school. But students enrolled in graduate programs in journalism and mass communication are not typical of students enrolled in other graduate programs in the university. Unlike most disciplines where graduate students have recently received their bachelor's degree, graduate students in journalism and mass communication tend to be older students who are returning to school. At Iowa, for example, the average age of students entering the M. …

Empowering Faculty Through Intrapreneurship: A Change Model

Institutions of nursing education are faced with socioeconomic issues that threaten to endanger the quality of education. Major issues such as budget cutbacks, changes in student populations, and decreasing numbers of professors mandate change if educational institutions are to survive. At the same time, health care reform provides nurse educators with an unprecedented opportunity to restructure curriculum. This article suggests that a method for meeting the challenge for educational reform while facing socioeconomic constraints is through intrapreneurship.

How Senior Professors Have Coped with Changes in Academic Life

A check of databases such as the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Index and the Academic Index uncovers thousands of recent studies related to professors, their students, and the programs and departments in which educators work. The relatively few studies that focus on journalism and mass communication educators generally chronicle job responsibilities and attitudes about the profession.An examination of media trade publications also reveals articles about journalism education, but neither these articles nor any scholarly studies have focused on the evolution of journalism and mass communication teaching as experienced by seasoned faculty members during a period of profound changes in academe.This study examines how these faculty members have coped with changes over time. Senior professors, defined as any college or university teachers (regardless of rank) who have taught full time for at least 10 of the past 15 years, have had more exposure to such change than have less experienced faculty members because of this, they were asked to assess its effects on their lives.Literature reviewLeatherman (1992) suggested that the over-arching change in higher education within the last decade may well have been recession-inspired cutbacks in funding. He noted that this has caused generalized problems such as difficulty in maintaining quality in academic programs, inability to retain the most qualified scholars, and inability to hire replacements for professors who retire, thereby shifting the work load to remaining faculty. He also identified a reduction in institutional support for trips to professional conventions and for memberships in professional organizations, despite the relationships between professional activity and universities' tenure and promotion decisions. Additionally, he said recession has forced some faculty to drop all professional memberships, causing them to forego professional development and service activities related to job security and advancement.Despite funding cutbacks and their effects on professional activity, Leigh & Anderson(1992) concluded that traditional research was still highly valued by administrators making tenure and promotion decisions, Their research, however, also showed that many institutions balanced research requirements with good teaching and creative activities.Faculty also find themselves inundated by scholarly journals and other publications related to their rapidly changing fields. This is happening at a time when budget cutbacks have caused libraries to cancel subscriptions to serial publications, which has limited access to such publications (Watkins, 1992). This is potentially damaging to journalism educators, whom Weaver & Wilhoit (1988) found to have diverse reading interests.An additional change is an increasing emphasis on computers and computer literacy in the university (Adams, 1987; Davenport, 1990). DeLoughry (1992) reported that more faculty members own computers than ever before, and that their educational institutions continue to recommend that both software and hardware be updated.Like professors in other disciplines, in the past 20 years journalism and mass communication faculty also have incorporated computer-aided instruction into their classrooms, and some computer programs have been used to make grading more efficient. Smith (1993) found that faculty could reduce grading workloads, if they would use computers for certain kinds of assignments. Other studies have encouraged professors to develop new software or have identified useful computer conference services or databases (Parker, 1991; Smith, 1991).Another problem professors face is overcoming poor preparation and poor scholarship in some of the students they teach, and their challenge isn't limited to the worst students. A 1992 newspaper headline read, Even the top students lag, colleges say, while the accompanying article, syndicated by The Boston GIobe, noted that the level of student work had fallen significantly in the last 15 years and that current students are not as rigorously trained, particularly in the communicative skills--the ability to write [and] the ability to speak (Ribadeneira, 1992, p. …

Crafting Sane Mental Health Policy

Crafting Sane Mental Health Policy

Ethnic Diversity in a Northern Climate

Despite a budget cutback of 7% in 1991, the Saint Paul (Minnesota) Public Library continues to build a strong collection and service program to meet the needs of the city's growing ethnic population. According to 1990 census data, Saint Paul had a 612% increase in its Asian American population in the last decade. Library staff established a cooperative program with Lao Family Community of Minnesota (a mutual assistance organization) which introduced over 800 families to library services, provided bookmobile services to all public housing areas of the city, created a Launch a Young Reader Service for child care providers, established a Book Buddy Project, hired a bilingual Hmong Management Trainee, and received a three-year grant to increase the holdings of the world language collections.

The Role of Foreign Debt in Deforestation in Latin America

Much current controversy exists about the role that foreign debt plays in deforestation in Latin America. In an attempt to familiarize concerned biologists with this issue, we present an overview of the proposed positive and negative effects that foreign debt has had on neotropical forest loss. From the literature, we identify three main hypotheses as to how the large external debts of developing Latin American countries may contribute to deforestation. We find that (1) countries have not increased exports of tropical timber and beef in response to rising debt; (2) external debts have contributed to economic stagnation and an associated increase in poverty in Latin America, which in turn has caused the degradation of marginal lands, but the role of debt in this process cannot be isolated from other important contributing factors; and (3) while debt payments have probably led to governmental budget cutbacks in environmental spending, historically spending in these areas has not been high. On the positive side, we found that (1) innovative debt‐for‐nature swaps have traded devalued debt for a commitment and funds to create and protect nature reserves; and (2) debt could be exchanged for forestry and agricultural sectoral reform, which would have very large positive effects on the conservation and management of forests.

STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS ON GENDER EQUALITIES WITH REGARD TO UNIVERSITY CAREERS IN FINLAND

This article begins by recognizing that Finnish women, like those in the other Nordic countries, were admitted to universities relatively early. Although they now constitute some 52 percent of enrolled students in Finnish higher education and 47 percent of the labour force, they have lagged behind men in terms of obtaining academic employment and even more so with regard to being appointed to leadership positions in universities and in other academic organizations. A combination of factors accounts for this situation: the tendency to channel aspiring women academics into non‐scientific fields, the failure of women academics to be included in the informal professional networks, the deprecating attitudes of male academics towards the research results of women, and in general, a societal power structure which favours men. Finally, an economic climate which is leading to cutbacks in higher education budgets is creating a situation which makes catching up by women academics next to impossible. Only major struc...

Wired to the World

While working recently with a library user I encountered what is becoming an increasing problem when one tries to conduct research on the Internet. The user was conducting research on vessel departures from American ports using our Early American Newspapers online database. The researcher reported that the list of newspapers available varied from day to day. For example papers he consulted on Monday would vanish from the database on Tuesday and new ones not previously there would appear. Sad to say his experience varied again on other days of the week. What implication does this phenomena have on the ability of scholars to conduct “research” on the Internet? Unfortunately this was not the first time someone reported a vanishing electronic resource to me. In fact just this morning I was looking for the 1729 edition of William Dampier’s Voyages. I located the title in our ILS, clicked on the link “Full Text Online” and promptly got the message “You do not have access to this product. Please contact our online sales specialist at 1-800 blah, blah, blah.” Further research turned up the fact that we had purchased the e-book collection containing this title outright in 2007 and there was no known annual fee, so we should have access right? Wrong. Latest news from the vendor is that “the collection may have expired for us.” So who in the library gets the fun task of taking all of these entries out of the ILS for items that have “expired” access? Or do we just have a new link to a page for these titles that reads “Sorry, access to this title is no longer available due to budget cutbacks by [insert the name of your favorite] administration? How do we even find out what we have lost access to unless a user complains? A number of times when I request articles recently through our e-journal portal, I will click on the pdf file link and receive a blank page. So why do the vendors say they have the pdf image when in fact they don’t? Or is it a glitch in the system, a problem with my computer, or who knows. Or maybe not. Recently a colleague sent me an email:

The Australian experience

The national scene in Australia is changing rapidly, in trade and immigration patterns, population age and disease profile, and no less in medical education where calls for innovation have been accompanied by budget cutbacks. In 1985, the Australian Medical Council (AMC) was established to provide the first local accreditation of medical schools and courses, and its activities have provided a forum for discussion of medical school reform. Since 1985, eight initiatives have been shaping medical education in Australia: (a) the AMC, (b) the Better Health Commission on preventive health care, (c) the Commonwealth Public Health Initiative on postgraduate education for public health (d) the Doherty report on the future of the medical workforce and its training,(e) added government funding for university chairs, and centers for public health issues, (f) a national health strategy on developing options for rationalizing medical costs, (g) higher education reform proposing to amalgamate universities and colleges of advanced education, and (h) the National Office for Overseas Skills Recognition on developing a competency test for overseas and, possibly, Australian graduates. The University of Newcastle Medical School's curriculum development and influence are described.

Conversion policy in the UK

The democratization of Eastern Europe, the disintegration of the Warsaw pact, the proposed Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) and the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) agreements, are concrete evidence of the end to the Cold War. For NATO these events have precipitated an overhaul of strategic policies, resulting in major cutbacks in the defence budgets of member states. In the U.K., this has given rise to a growing debate on the economic effects of cuts in the military burden and the possible benefits to be derived from what has become popularly labelled the However, the way in which resources are transformed for the military into civil use, and the interpretation of the objectives of the conversion process, lie at the centre of a controversy about the optimal use of the peace dividend. This paper provides a critical assessment of the contributions to this debate. Copyright 1990 by Oxford University Press.

Space station gets new scrutiny

In what is one of a series of hearings planned this year on Space Station Freedom, the Subcommittee on Space Science and Applications recently received testimony from William B. Lenoir, associate administrator of the Office of Space Flight, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, about continuing design changes and budget cutbacks to this program.If there was one message that Lenoir wanted to leave with the subcommittee, it was that the Space Station program was still on schedule but budget cutbacks could cause significant future difficulties.

MIS Budget Cutbacks: Alternative Actions for MIS Managers

Abstract Because most MIS managers face budget cutbacks at one time or another, they should be prepared to reduce certain departmental expenditures. This article presents the results of a survey in which 79 MIS managers ranked 18 alternative actions to reduce expenses, including elimination of external consultant assignments and reduction of end-user computing support.

Media centre administration: An alternative for success

<span>Many media centre administrators worldwide regularly experience budget cutbacks or, at least, the threat of cutbacks. If you have not been threatened by the budget slashers, or if you are satisfied by the level of support your media operation is enjoying, your time might be better spent in reading the other articles in this journal: you have likely discovered your alternative for success.</span><p>This paper will challenge the usual ways of thinking about managing media centres I intend to attack some of the sacred cows of media and media centre management, and to offer alternatives to the commonly accepted operational procedures which have resulted in media centre closings and cutbacks during unfavourable economic times. There may be times when I over state my case, but usually it will only seem so. There are, of course, media centres managed in the commonly accepted ways that are succeeding these days. But is it possible to run a centre in such a way that it is practically assured of flourishing when the economy and support for education in general declines? The answer is, "yes", but it requires change - drastic change - from the traditional ways media are perceived. I would like to share with you some successes and failures in media management and the lessons they have taught.</p>

Crafting Urban Partnerships

Neighborhood Assistance Programs (NAPs) have become popular policies among the states as an alternative way to fund community-based organizations and as a way to provide various social services in the face of federal budget cutbacks. Through use of a tax incentive, NAPs seek to encourage business investment in community projects, while strengthening the bond between the public and private sectors. Analysis of NAP performance in three states finds that the programs and their tax incentive concept have many conceptual flaws. Consequently, NAPs fail as a reliable long-term mechanism for inducing high rates of meaningful private sector participation in social programs.

Le « Consumer Product Safety Act » américain et sa mise en œuvre par la « Consumer Product Safety Commission »

Legal efforts to ensure the safety of consumer goods cannot rely exclusively on the rules of product liability but have to comprise preventive measures as well as means to react to non-anticipated risks. The Consumer Product Safety Act 1972 still represents the most advanced legislative model responding to such needs. The article describes the Act's legislative history and its original regulatory concept. It analyses the practical difficulties and the political opposition encountered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in implementing the Act. Regardless of the substantial cut-backs in the Commission's budget and the « deregulation » especially of the provisions on mandatory safety standards, the American expérience with the injury information System and with the recall of dangerous products should be taken into account in the further development of product safety law in Europe.

Fertilizer Innovation Advances Despite Budget Cutbacks

Fertilizer Innovation Advances Despite Budget Cutbacks

Public service budget constraints: the perspective of rural officials in the U.S.A.

Eight counties in the State of Washington served as the focus for a study of issues associated with budget cutbacks. Secondary data were collected from published sources. A mail survey in 1984 of elected and appointed officials provided primary data. The secondary data enabled us to trace changes in expenditure patterns for specific services from 1979 to 1983. Judicial, law enforcement, correctional units and general government received consistent increases, in part because of state mandates. Environmental protection, planning, community development, parks and recreation tended to be cut rather consistently. Social and health services, physical services (roads, bridges, etc.), and education remained relatively stable in most counties. Public officials consider state requirements for improvement in correctional and law enforcement services as the major factor in setting budget priorities. Cutbacks in federal and state funds for environmental protection are part of the basis for county cutbacks, but local priorities appear to support such actions. Despite budget decreases in some service categories, public officials felt that little had been lost in service quality or quantity, although maintenance of plant, equipment, and capital outlays were thought to have suffered rather seriously.

Reflections on the “right to be informed”

In this article, the author uses a passage from Bernard Fry's 1978 NCLIS report as a point of departure for defending the public's “right to be informed” in light of tumultuous recent issues surrounding public policy in the dissemination of government information. The author treats, in turn, the U.S. Government Printing Office's reluctance to disseminate machine-readable government information through the depository library program, the federal government's historically poor performance in the timely dissemination of its information, the current administration's abridgement of government publishing and information dissemination, and the effect of recent budget cutbacks on the government's statistical programs.

Community Planning and Organization in an Era of Retrenchment: Structural and Educational Approaches to Serving Human Need

Abstract Despite budget cutbacks, some community organizations and planning agencies have used situational incentives of the contemporary retrenchment situation productively. This article describes creative structures and strategies used to better serve and further empower client population groups. These innovative and successful models can help identify specific competencies which are particularly important for social work graduates in community organization and planning at this time.