"The Great Pumpkin is Not Coming"

Some bad news delivered badly:

All seven Oregon public universities would lose state money over the next two years, but some, including Portland State, Oregon State and the University of Oregon, would lose more than others in a distribution plan approved Friday by the State Board of Higher Education's finance committee.

Even with federal stimulus money, the universities will see an overall 8 percent drop in their 2009-11 general fund budget from the previous biennium -- to $820 million. But the decline would be 16 percent for the University of Oregon and 11 percent each for Portland State University and Oregon State University under the distribution plan.

This is obviously a blow to workers and faculty hoping to see some equity in the way cuts strike state workers. What adds insult to injury is the way OUS Chancellor George Pernsteiner delivered the news--mockingly. Noting that universities are going to have to get by with less state support, he chided universities with this one-liner: "The Great Pumpkin is not coming."

In other words: "Quit your whining. Suck it up. You've been living large for a long time, and now the salad days are done."

(PSU faculty and staff, you have been living large, right? Regular raises, salaries competitive with other universities, that kind of thing? Oh, wait.)

You might also find President Wim Wiewel's response less than reassuring. While acknowledging that PSU has "enjoyed" massive growth in the past five years (15%, 3,500 students), that it will experience growth again this year (though the University refuses to use the added revenues from that growth in budget models), and that it has therefore suffered disproportionately, Wiewel offered a tepid, "Everyone has to share in the sacrifice."

These are people's jobs; their lives. These decisions have real-world consequences. You'd think the Chancellor and President would reassure their valuable university faculty that they understand that.

Stay tuned.