Image by Eric Johnson on Flickr
The state has been and continues to be hit hard by the financial crisis. Budgets have been slashed across the board, state parks are closing, jobs continue to be lost in key areas. There is no doubt that sacrifices must be made but at what cost?  I am startled and dismayed by the choices being made in this time of crisis and want to help spread the word.

The following is an update on changes being made at Arizona State University that impact the quality of education throughout the state and its relevance to sustainability for Arizona. Written by my esteemed peer at Arizona State University in the Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education, Kimberly Eversman:

In a recent announcement made by President Crow, members of ASU faculty, staff and student body found out that, due to a mandate from the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) to reduce our state salary budget for FY 11 by 2.75%, four organizational changes were made:

• Disestablishment of the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education.
• Disestablishment of the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Disestablishment of the School of Health Management and Policy in the W.P. Carey School of Business
• Disestablishment of the School of Design Innovation in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

In the Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education (FIGSE), thirty plus staff were given termination notices last week and highly ranked faculty, who continue to support issues of social justice and equity, were told they would be reabsorbed in the new Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College.

Graduate students were told that programs would remain intact and will simply be absorbed by the new Teacher’s College. However, with the loss of staff and faculty, it is simply irresponsible to claim, “nothing will change”.

The most unsettling aspect of these events is that there was no attempt by those in power, to reach out to members of the FIGSE community to come to a more just and sustainable solution to the ABOR request.

A core principal of sustainable societies is a deep commitment to the democratic principals of outreach, transparency and extensive public participation. This requires two-way communication with community members (faculty, staff, students, alumni, among many others) and an open, slow, and deliberative decision-making process. It is clear that these principals were not obeyed during this current (and former) restructurings. This shirking of democratic process shows a failure to abide by some of the overarching principals of the “New American University” including sustainability and embededness.

It is in the spirit of sustainability and a commitment to these democratic principles that we wish to get the word out about these events. Community members have a right to know about the restructurings and have a right to have their voices heard. For more information on how you can get involved, check out our Facebook page, Coalition for Education.

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