Joann Groff
News Editor
Provost Darryl Tippens said he is still deliberating over the recommendations he received from Seaver Dean David Baird on how to cut approximately $1 million from Seaver College.
“We don’t have a single date,” Tippens said through his assistant. “The budget process will take place over several weeks.”
Originally, degrees in advertising, humanities, international business, P.E. and public relations were at risk of deletion or reduction to minors, which resulted in a mostly negative response from the Pepperdine community. Baird, however, made some major changes to the matrix after meetings with faculty and students.
According to Communication Division Chair Dr. Bob Chandler, the advertising and public relations majors will be strengthened and altered, but not reduced to minors or converted into the integrated marketing communication degree.
Baird is allowing the Communication Division to work out the specifics.
“How it’s going to sort itself out, that’s up to the division’s perspective what they are going to do,” Baird said in the Oct. 28 issue of the Graphic. “There are students and alumni and professionals involved, and reviewing what’s going to happen. It’s under very serious study, and if it turns out we end up continuing with the status quo, at least we would be making that decision based upon data.”
Among other changes are Baird’s decisions to keep the forensics program and Currents magazine.
Now, the provost will look over the recommendations and all academic changes will need to be approved by the Seaver Academic Council and the University Academic Council. Neither the provost, nor the Vice President of Finance Paul Lasiter would comment on the process or timeline.
In February, it was announced that $1.6 million would be collected from the college by reviewing the efficiency of the programs on campus. Of that money, $1 million will go to the University for a computer system and a retiree health benefits package, and $600,000 is to be reallocated within Seaver, enriching some of the existing programs and creating new ones.
Related Stories
Voices heard; cuts are revised
11-04-2004