Before The Rundown, a few words about this guy. As Provost, Hamilton is the boss of the school's academic side. Depending on who you ask, that makes him the University's #2, behind Chancellor Mike Martin.
That also means he's the guy closest to and with the most power over -- and the most intimate knowledge of -- budget cuts to the school's "academic core."
Without further ado, here's the Rundown:
-Hamilton's basic message is essentially the same one we've been hearing from LSU administrators for months: cuts have hurt LSU and will continue to hurt LSU in the future.
Oh, and don't forget: when LSU hurts, the state's economy hurts too.
-Although the message was the same, his presentation was new. He was flanked at the podium by 140 empty folding chairs -- Hamilton said these represented the 140 faculty he claims LSU has lost because of the cuts:
"Each of these chairs represents a victim, not of war or prison or celebrity death, but of our state’s budget woes. Count, and you’ll find 140 seats, representing the 140 faculty positions eliminated at LSU since the budget cuts began. That’s 140 faculty who could be teaching class, producing research,winning federal grants, and shaping students’ lives."
The 140 number is one Hamilton and other administrators have thrown around before, and it's a perhaps a little deceptive. 140 faculty haven't lost jobs at LSU -- most of the positions Hamilton's talking about are vacant positions that have gone unfilled.
Does that mean Hamilton's lying? No. Does that mean LSU's faculty isn't hurting from these cuts? No again -- several colleges and departments are hurting because they lack funds to fill vacant positions. And Hamilton's discussion of reductions to foreign language don't seem to be overstated.
But 140 empty chairs is perhaps a bit -- dramatic.
Still, it's a pretty effective visual, from a pure communication's standpoint.
-Hamilton's words about Governor Jindal are interesting:
"The Governor and other state leaders are doing serious work to save higher education in this state. The governor and his staff have been toiling in recent weeks to find creative solutions. We consider them our partners.
If I am here today for any reason, it is to help the governor make the case that LSU needs help
and is worth saving."
While Hamilton and his colleagues have rarely outright criticized Jindal's administration, they've seldom seemed so supportive of him either. We certainly didn't hear such praise last semester when Hamilton made similar speeches.
Is Hamilton's enthusiasm inspired by Jindal's quick, earnest support for the Flagship Coalition, the group of businessmen looking to protect LSU -- and only LSU -- from cuts? Maybe. In fact, probably.
-Hamilton also lays down down hard numbers for what kind of cuts LSU could sustain without real devastation. $20 million in cuts in "Direct Student Impact" is Hamilton's hypothetical cut-line.
But these aren't really hard numbers at all. What constitutes "Direct Student Impact" is hugely ambiguous -- and, I might add, a definition Hamilton controls.
How much of funding cut constitutes DSI? Only Hamilton (and his staff) knows. Which is kind of suspicious.
Additionally, a number that raises my eyebrows is this: Hamilton says a DSI cut of $20 million is the equivalent of cutting 5 or 6 of the University's 14 colleges.
LSU's total operating budget is well over $400 million; that's just discretionary spending. How does $20 million -- 1/20th of that -- amount to almost half the academic core?
There might be an answer. Of course, there also might not.
-3PO
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