JU President facing backlash following cuts to staff and programs
On Tuesday, the university announced its cutting controlled expenses by about 10%, removing programs that affected about 100 students, and terminated 40 faculty students as part of its 'Future Focused' initiative. In a video posted on social media, Cost says 'It's a plan we've been working on for more than six months, through a rigorous, collaborative process involving all the right, highly engaged groups on our campus and in our community.'
That morning, students received an email from the university, asking them to attend a meeting with leadership. Students initially thought the email was fake after some students were given a different meeting location than others and a warning that says the email came from an external source.
Staff and students say they were not warned of the changes. 'Nobody in our faculty knew this was coming. Our head of the department didn't know this was coming,' says JU student Nelson Davila, to our news partner Action News Jax. One terminated faculty member who wished to remain anonymous, told Action News Jax, 'I really believed that this was a place that believed in its mission. And now it is so completely changing that mission. And what's worse is they are gaslighting us into pretending like this has always been the plan.'
The Facebook page for the JU's music department, one of the programs greatly affected by the cuts, called out Cost's comments about the cuts affecting about 100 students, saying, 'Music had 123 majors and 21 minors. That equals 144 students.'
On Wednesday, students gathered to protest the changes, while the faculty came together to censure President Cost and hold a vote of no confidence. The faculty cited multiple issues for the vote including termination of tenured faculty without cause, breach of debt covenant, and failure to involve faculty in many decisions. One professor, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Action News Jax's Ben Becker, 'JU has been operating like a monarchy, and the faculty are tired of being the peasants, especially while the king i s making terrible decisions, and we're the ones paying the price.' The resolution was sent to the Jacksonville Board of Trustees.
In a statement, Board Chair Matt Kane says that on the censure and no confidence vote, 'The Jacksonville University Board of Trustees respects the faculty's choice to express their opinions under the shared governance structure of our University. The Board of Trustees remains fully confident in President Cost's strategic leadership and decision-making. The Board continues to work closely with the President and other senior leaders to ensure Jacksonville University's long-term financial sustainability and future success.'
Meanwhile President Cost says, in a statement, 'I respect the faculty's role in our shared governance structure as defined by our University and faculty bylaws, and I appreciate that we have a structure that invites them to share their perspective. I've valued the honest and spirited dialogue with our faculty throughout my 12 years at Jacksonville University. While we may not always agree on every decision, I believe we share a deep commitment to Jacksonville University's mission and to the success of our students. Together with the senior leadership team, we remain focused on the work ahead — strengthening our institution and advancing the strategic goals we've set together.'
We reached out to President Cost for comment. We were told he was unavailable at the time of this post.
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