Jackson State University is undergoing major changes in an effort to fix its financial problem. Some members of the university community are not pleased with the outcome. MPB's Alexis Ware reports
Jackson State University is moving forward with its plan to restructure departments following a College Board vote on Thursday. Along with cutting its budget, the University will borrow 6 million dollars to recover from recent financial struggles.
JSU Interim President Rod Paige says, the problems with finances were a result of good intentions.
"With our eagerness to serve students, sometimes going a little further in our expenditures than we should. So we'll be getting back to discipline position and putting the university back on reaffirm footing. The university is in solid position and we look forward to its new leadership and going back to its heights that we expect is going to be accomplished," Paige says.
The University is cutting 42 staff positions and 65 vacant positions and getting rid of the men's and women's golf team for two years. The reduction plan includes consolidation, which will eliminate nine departments.
The Department of Speech Communication and Dramatic Arts will be merged with another department. Courtney Rutledge is a former speech communication student at JSU. She says moving the department would put students' academic success in jeopardy.
"The reduction just does not make sense for our area because one English is the largest department on this campus. They are already pushing at the limit there is no way you can take speech comm. and put us with English and bombard the English Department and risk their accreditation and ours," Rutledge says.
The changes will take effect on July 1.
