Impact of Budget Cuts on the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
FY’02-FY’05

• As a result of continued budget cuts in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), 18 classified employees and 8 contract employees were terminated June 30, 2004. These employees were in addition to 9 classified positions terminated December 31, 2003 as a result of closing low priority programs.

• A total of 316 positions have been eliminated including 69 tenure track faculty positions, 111 public service faculty positions and 136 classified staff positions.

• In response to budget cuts and unfunded costs, the administration has managed its budget in an effort to minimize layoffs while maintaining the viability of higher priority programs. Actions include: elimination of vacant positions to downsize programs (including administration); implementing an early out program for eligible federally appointed CES employees; and closing low priority facilities. All vacant position funds available after meeting budget cuts were redirected to our highest priority programs.

Budget reductions have had an impact on all units and programs within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; all major commodities in the state have been impacted by the reduction in positions.

 

GENERAL:

Stopped:

• all state supported research and education activities at the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens in Savannah
• all state supported research and extension programs at the Southeast Research and Education Center in Midville
• all operations at the Blueberry and Vegetable Processing Center in Alma
• all 4-H operations at Camp Fulton in Atlanta.
• production of the “Gardening in Georgia” television program

Reduced:

• operations at the Northwest Research and Education Center in Calhoun
• operations at the Mountain Research and Education Center in Blairsville
• state support for Extension publications
• state support for 4-H Camps
• the number of state-owned vehicles
• the number of support units in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) teaching, research, and extension programs through consolidation

 

ANIMAL PROGRAMS:

Stopped:

• swine extension programs
• reproductive physiology research related to swine
• swine research on the Tifton campus
• all applied dairy research in Athens
• equine research programs
• poultry extension work based in Tifton
• research in poultry toxicology
• research on the nutrition of commercial egg layers
• all aquaculture research

Reduced:

• animal waste management programs
• support for bull and heifer test programs
• beef cattle breeding and extension education
• research related to poultry housing and controlled environment
• research program related to animal food safety
• technical support for biotechnology and other basic research

 

PLANT PROGRAMS:

Stopped:

• extension support for pecans
• canola breeding programs
• free soil analysis for farmers

Reduced:

• research with the objective of reducing crop losses due to pests and diseases
• research/extension in nematology, mycology of soybeans, and small grains
• support for crop variety testing program
• research related to environmental economics and policy, water quality, irrigation, water conservation and environmental toxicology
• weed science extension/research devoted to cotton and peanuts
• apple extension programming
• research/extension in forage management and production
• technical support for biotechnology and other basic research
• research on the tomato spotted wilt virus

 

Although the “B” budget is for the direct support of research and extension programs, reductions in personnel have adverse implications to teaching programs.

 

TEACHING PROGRAMS:

Stopped:

• approximately 50 courses in our College will not be taught because faculty have not been rehired after retirement or career moves, delaying graduation for some students
• approximately 20 courses in our College have dropped laboratory sections because of loss of operating dollars
• student clubs have lost faculty advisors

Reduced:

• flexibility for programs because of budget cuts will likely cause delay of graduation for students
• quality of instruction due to use of temporary or non-tenured track faculty in the following courses:
  • 2 in agricultural economics
  • 3 in plant pathology
  • 1 in environmental health science
  • 15 in animal science
  • 21 in engineering
• quality of academic advising at the undergraduate level, as well as graduate student recruitment and advising, because of increased workloads
• employment opportunities for engineering students because of loss of course offerings in certain options or areas of emphasis
• teaching-related office staff which has adversely affected payroll, personnel, curriculum, and class scheduling

 

EXTENSION COUNTY OPERATIONS:

Eliminated 111 Public Service faculty positions statewide; 96 were county extension agent positions. Agent positions lost by programming area are:

• 45 Agricultural Extension Agents
• 38 4-H and Youth Development Agents
• 13 Family and Consumer Science Agents

County programming reduced or eliminated by area are as follows:

• 11 counties with no agents
• 25 counties with no agricultural agent
• 81 counties with no 4-H agent
• 112 counties without a Family and Consumer Science agent
• 31 staff positions have been removed from support roles
• extension districts were reduced from five to four, increasing the administrative workload by 20% of the remaining districts

 

(Revised 9/22/04)