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The Kentucky General Assembly late Monday reached agreement on a budget plan with provisions (including cuts to operating budgets for higher education) opposed by many academics in the state. The budget now goes to Governor Matt Bevin, who is expected to approve it. Beyond the cuts, two measures have drawn particular concerns from academic leaders:
- One measure would limit tenure protections when colleges discontinue programs. Many faculty leaders say that this effectively guts tenure protections. The measure was added at the last minute by a state senator.
- The other measure kills all state funds for the University Press of Kentucky, which serves the state's public universities and some private institutions as well. The governor proposed the elimination of these funds.
At the University of Kentucky, President Eli Capilouto, Provost David Blackwell and Katherine McCormick, chair of the Faculty Council, sent a joint letter to the campus Monday night. In it, they said that they did not seek any changes in tenure policies. If the budget becomes law and changes are needed, they said, administrators and faculty members would work on any necessary updates to university policy together, with a commitment to academic freedom and due process.
As for the university press, the note said that "we will be working with our partner institutions to identify ways to sustain the financial viability of the Press over the long term."
