Prospect of bigger classes not sitting well with USM faculty, students - Noel K. Gallagher, Morning Sentinel

The budget cuts at USM call for raising the faculty-to-student ratio from its current 1-to-15 to 1-to-23. The average ratio for Maine’s public universities now is 1-to-15, according to 2011-12 data from the National Center for Education Statistics, which collects and analyzes data for the U.S. Department of Education. “I think it’s extremely shortsighted,” USM Faculty Senate Chairman Jerry LaSala said of the change. “It’s not good for the future of the university to set goals so unreasonable.” As many as 30 faculty members would be laid off and four majors eliminated under the budget cuts laid out by USM President Theodora Kalikow. http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/Prospect_of_bigger_classes_not_sitting_well_with_USM_faculty__students__.html