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Apparently the Florida State University Administration, as a "cost-saving" measure, is planning to eliminate the Department of Geological Sciences...though the very sparse official releases I have found refer to a departmental "merge". The following insight was conveyed to me: Apparently at least three of these faculty slots targeted for elimination are tenured, an action that requires considerable justification; e.g. "only for adequate cause, except in the case of retirement for age, or under extraordinary circumstances because of financial exigencies" (i.e.: AAUP 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure). Losing tenured positions seems an especially questionable move; consider that, historically, once an institution has lost tenured positions, only very rarely can they be recovered. Given that this action clearly falls under "financial exigencies", the question is raised how much cost this truly would save, especially balanced against the loss of considerable research funding (including the robust and copiously-funded Antarctic Research Facility), and EFT's...not even counting massive degradation of institutional prestige. Do you discontinue "Rocks for Jocks"???? I am reticent to mention other programs, including athletics, but this plan has been conceived at a time when millions of booster dollars are being used in an attempt to prevent the loss of wins in sports records. This comparison makes the move seem even more egregious. Given that geology is the study of the Earth on which you, I, and we all live, crippling geology programs seems extremely "penny wise pound foolish". Yes, Florida occupies part of the surface of this planet Earth. Another page that makes a claim for which I have no verification, but which is extremely disturbing, can be found here: FSU Geology Program Suspended His earlier take/insight was posted here: Florida State Geosciences In An Existential Quandary Another page addressing a related issue (yes, even the f.u. geology department makes critical contributions) can be found here: Univ. Of Florida Geology Dept. Faces Deep Cuts The latter page includes this link to read this acknowledgment from the Governor of Florida Charlie Crist, dated October 2008, about the importance of earth sciences and the role it plays in Florida society. Although this subjugation alone might not be considered sufficient to kill this 60-year-old geology program, reduction of 13+ (16?) faculty members to 6 cannot possibly aid the health of the program...either in research or teaching activity. As a graduate and friend of this historic program, I find this decision injurious to FSU and the state of Florida, and thus was compelled to create this page objecting to this path. I hope reconsideration of this drastic maneuver is undertaken, and that this ill-conceived idea is reversed, before it is too late. In the hopes of facilitating the goal of saving the FSU Geology Program and Department of Geological Sciences, this petition has been created and hopefully shall help generate support for this goal. Thank you for visiting. James O. Eckert, Ph.D. B.S., FSU Geology, 1981 |
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