The Facts: Yesterday Chancellor Woodson announced his plan for the much anticipated budget cuts N.C. State will be faced with. Woodson announced there would not be specific cuts, but rather department heads would be able to strategically relocate their resources to face the budget cuts.

Our Opinion: Woodson has given department heads the power to suggest ways for N.C. State to brace itself for these budget cuts. These department heads should embrace this power and make the best of it.

Chancellor Woodson’s much-anticipated announcement of how N.C. State would face the ongoing budget nightmare yesterday set the ball in the department heads’ court, for them to decide their fate. Woodson’s plan of relocating “resources already at the University’s disposal” will prevent specific budget cuts, but rather allow department heads to suggest calculated actions for dealing with the cuts. Such power should be taken advantage of and should not fall short merely because it’s more work.

The most frightening course of action Woodson has suggested throughout this entire budget fiasco has been the consolidation and/or elimination of majors and programs. However, according to yesterday’s announcement, nothing was said about such a bold move. Only that individual departments are given the power to suggest how they want to face the issue.

Department heads have been given an opportunity to decide what they want to consolidate and merge, rather than have some bigwig telling them what they must do. They should recognize this ability and utilize the valuable opportunity.

This newfound ability given to you, department heads, allows you to reevaluate your individual programs and how valuable the degrees and classes are in order to make the difficult judgment calls regarding the way you will handle these budget cuts. By assessing the effectiveness of your programs and saving valuable ones, you are preserving resources for your students. This directly helps them, which is what your job is first and foremost.

While this process will be cumbersome and will put more work on your already busy jobs, the resulting outcome will change the lives of your students. Concerns have been plaguing campus since the talk of budget cuts, and you now have the ability to calm them, regardless of the amount of work.

This new budget anticipation should not be met with the same neglect the chancellor used toward students, but rather open communication with students. During this difficult process of decision-making, department heads should attempt to make choices in favor of the students. This is achieved through full support from your respective students, which comes from communicating with them.  

By keeping students in the loop and gaining their support, department heads are able to control their prospective cuts and gauge them in their favor.