At the beginning of the fiscal year, the university administrators cut the faculty scholarship funds in half.
Professors at OCU are evaluated by three different aspects of their jobs: teaching, research and service. Normally, OCU aids professors in their research by allocating them a maximum of $1,800 for the semester to do their research. A professor’s research includes, but is not limited to, going to conferences and writing papers and books. But now, with the new budget restrictions, only the professors who applied first were able to get funding for their scholarship, and the rest of the professors have to pay out of pocket.
Essentially, OCU is reducing salaries for these professors in a roundabout way. Since the professors are required to produce scholarship for the year, they are being forced to fund it using their own salaries. These cuts are a huge blow to faculty morale, since now they have to work even harder to keep jobs they love. Many professors enjoy doing research on subjects they are passionate about, but when the main form of support for their work is cut, it can be easy to feel forgotten or ignored.
Not only will these cuts negatively affect the professors, but they could negatively impact the future of OCU. Professors looking for work who have something to offer OCU might now overlook the university because of the lack of research support. With less professors coming to the university, OCU might not be as positive an investment for future donors, which could mean even less money coming in for the university.
Taking care of professors should be one of the top priorities at a university since the happiness of the professors often affects the happiness of the students. If professors feel frustrated and disrespected by new policies, they may seek employment elsewhere.
Many students are frustrated their professors are not being treated fairly and may even seek education elsewhere. Students are here to learn from their professors, but if professors don’t have the resources they need to teach students, then the value of OCU’s education is at stake.
Investing in professors is one of the best decisions a university can make. Professors are a part of what makes OCU so special and why a lot of students came here in the first place. If this budgetary issue is not fixed soon, the OCU community might feel the negative effects. OCU’s professors support the university, so why shouldn’t the university support them in turn?
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