Latest news with #TimCost
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
JU President facing backlash following cuts to staff and programs
Jacksonville University President Tim Cost is receiving backlash from faculty and students following this week's financial initiative announcement that led to some faculty members out of a job and several students changing their major. 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.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jacksonville University faculty issues ‘no confidence' vote in President Cost after decision on cuts
A majority of Jacksonville University's faculty who attended Wednesday night's faculty meeting issued a vote of 'no confidence' in President Tim Cost. This comes after Cost on Tuesday announced major changes for JU, including the layoff of 40 faculty members, the reduction of undergraduate degree offerings from 60 to 37, and a decrease of graduate degree programs from 23 to 15. Related: 'Gaslighting us': Jacksonville University professor slams school president over layoffs Sources told Action News Jax's Ben Becker that faculty members brought up the following issues regarding Cost: Termination of tenured faculty without cause Ignoring numerous faculty proposals, requests for transparency, clarifications, etc. Years of structural financial mismanagement under his leadership Breach of debt covenant Warning signs dating back to 2016 that Cost failed to address Lack of oversight for the CFO, whom he (supposedly) met regularly Failure to involve faculty in many important decisions, especially ones that the university's governing documents specifically say faculty should be heavily involved in Pattern of unilateral decision making, disregard for established governance practices A professor who did not want to be named told Becker, 'JU has been operating like a monarchy, and the faculty are tired of being the peasants, especially while the king is making terrible decisions, and we're the ones paying the price.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The resolution was submitted by the Faculty Assembly to the Jacksonville University Board of Trustees. Board Chair Matt Kane responded to the vote Thursday: '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.' President Tim Cost himself responded to the resolution of no confidence and censure: '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.' [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
