USM community prepares anti-austerity cases for Trustees’ meeting as more cuts loom - NICK SCHROEDER, Portland Phoenix

With faculty positions restored and students heading into finals week, you might think the battle over the future of the University of Southern Maine has quieted. But the next few weeks hold much in store for the public institution, as factions within the campus community are firming their proposals and demands before crucial meetings in May and July determine the shape of the proposed “metropolitan university.” It’s been nearly a month since President Theodora Kalikow’s decision to reverse the faculty cuts first recommended to the system Board of Trustees in March. Those recommendations came as a response to what the University of Maine administration is calling a $14 million budget shortfall for USM and a $36 million deficit systemwide. http://portland.thephoenix.com/news/158269-before-the-board/