University of Florida to Cut CISE Dept Budget Drastically
The University of Florida has come under fire for a proposal that would the budget for the school's CISE department take a huge hit.
Students at the University of Florida are currently protesting a restructuring proposal that would see the budget for the school's Computer & Information Science and Engineering (CISE) department cut dramatically.
The proposal, announced by Dean Cammy Abernathy on April 11, would see all graduate and research activity from the CISE department removed and the department turned into a teaching only department. According to the Save UF CISE website, the restructuring would also mean all software-oriented Computer Engineering students (roughly 310 out of a total 610 CISE undergrads; 375 out of 400 masters students; and 130 doctoral students) from CISE would be moved to the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department. In addition to this, all teaching assistant support would be eliminated and 50 percent of the CISE faculty would be would be transferred to other engineering departments (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial System Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering).
Students say the CISE department's computer science research includes broad-based investigation in Computer Graphics, Intelligent Systems, Databases, Distributed Computing and Networking, Software systems, Data Mining, Human-Computer Interaction, High Performance Computing and Algorithms, and says these cannot be in an Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Industrial System Engineering (ISE), or Biomedical Engineering (BME) department.
The cuts are a result of a decrease in state funding for the University of Florida. According to Forbes, Florida state legislators have cut the budget for the university by 30 percent over the past 6 years. Students continue to oppose the cuts, along with members of the CISE faculty. The petition on Change.org currently has nearly 7000 signatures.
But what do I know, right? Our Universities are more inclined on making money rather than researching new technologies and pushing our students to reach further than before.
I am an engineering student at UF and I think I understand fairly well the courses offered and the research work by CISE. I feel that most of the media reports are very biased, all of them voicing students concern or Save CISE website. I have a few points (and questions), please indulge me :
1. Does anyone seriously think that the Dean decided to cut a major engineering department, one that brings much revenue and jobs, without any reasoning? She can't be that dumb!
2. Almost all undergrad students and a majority of graduate students at CISE do not take part in any research work. Yet these are the people who are getting jobs in all those big companies. Is the Dean, then wrong in focusing on teaching efforts?
3. Most of the startup ventures at Innovation Hub have been started by students who were not at all a part of the 'research effort'. How does focusing on teaching make any difference to it? As long as the same courses are being taught, albeit now with more effort from professors, aren't we increasing the quality of education?
4. The TA budget, which is making the news has already been cut at CISE last year. CISE continues to be the only department in COE that guarantees TA for 10 semesters to all its TAs. This funding used to be for much longer, but it was changed last year due to cuts and students not graduating fast enough. Most of the other departments do not have this budget to be cut - the professors are already doing there work/grading in classes or have 1 TA (2 in rare cases) to help them out. I have not seen their teaching or research take a toll.
5. I can tell you first hand that most of the other Engineering departments in the school, do not spend so lavishly on TAs. When are almost 3-4 TAs per TA in other departments. Before you start thinking that this improves the quality of education, think twice. There is little that is done to improve the diction, pronunciation and teaching methodologies of these TAs, most of whom are international students. Having heard it from my friends, I can say that they aren't upset about losing TAs who are difficult to understand in class.
6. The Athletic Program budget - This one is being blamed for no good reason. UF sports isn't a sink of money. The athletic program, in fact, raises money separately and is very much profitable just like CISE. If by this campaign CISE raises money would they be willing to give it to some other program in the school? I don't think so.
7. MindTree setting up office in Gainesville - Again, do we think that the Dean would have gone ahead and made a decision without taking this into consideration, costing revenue to the local community? I am not sure, but as an employer wouldn't MindTree be most concerned about what courses/skills the students are being taught? Whether you do those courses under the name of 'CISE' or 'ECE' how does it matter as long as the content is the same?
8. I see an unclear plan of action by the Dean as the worst thing here. Why isn't the faculty or the students asking her to make that clear? What faculties are going to be kept in teaching CISE or moved to one of the ECE, IS, BioSciences etc?
9. With the alternate proposal that the CISE students are going to present on, what is there plan? Even if they distribute the costs across all COE departments, the TA budget will definitely be affected, mostly leading to 1/2 year reduction in funding. Or do the TAs in CISE think that unlike last year, the faculty will take a cut in there pay checks?
10. Since everyone is making a hue and cry about 'research', I want to understand how does moving the faculty to a different department adversely affect it? According to them they are already used to doing interdisciplinary research. Why is moving a professor from CS, who knows much about CS and uses it in his applied research in BioTech, to BioTech a bad idea? Why is no one looking at the positive sides of this, it might position these researchers to learn some things from applied sciences that they currently do not have?
Just as these, there are several other issues I have with the way things are being dealt with. A researcher who draws conclusions without asking for facts and real data should not be called a researcher. I sincerely feel that the plan of action is the first thing CISE should request from the Dean. Why 50% faculty, what is the number, what is the basis of appraisal etc?
read the article again...i am sure you can find it