Closing the Leadership Institute is unfortunate but will help CMU solve budget woes
Casualties are unavoidable in Central Michigan University’s battle to balance next year’s budget.
Some will inevitably be unhappy with the results.
The Leadership Institute is one program slated for the chopping block to keep the university above water. Given the current situation university officials find themselves in, closing the program for a time is a rightful consideration.
The Leadership Institute is no doubt a great program. As proven through the number of favorable comments on cm-life.com, a significant number of students are passionate about the educational opportunities it provides.
But in such tough economic times, cuts have to be made so the university can stay operable and attractive to most prospective students.
The program lost its main figurehead when Director Dykstra Heinze left in early January.
Closing it will save the university around $161,497 — an amount that may seem petty to some, but is one step closer to solving the current budget crisis.
Other campus programs have met the same fate. On the Fly Productions — the student RSO that specialized in planning events for CMU — also is planning to pack up at semester’s end. More could face budget trouble as the Senior Staff Budget Advisory Group mentioned in its responses to budget suggestions that the Campus Programming Fund will likely see a drop in funding.
This situation comes as an outrage to those focused solely on student life at CMU. But the alternative to closing down smaller programs is making significant cuts that affect the entire student body.
The university has to ensure that students are going to get a basic college education before being a part of specialty programs.
The administration has to avoid making cuts that would have an across-campus effect. Slicing programs such as the Leadership Institute affects a decent number of students, but not the entire student body.
That said, just because the Leadership Institute is cut does not mean students with a leadership minor will be abandoned.
Besides, it is unfair to tell hundreds of students who may have made a significant financial investment in leadership classes and tell them it’s time to find a new minor.
The entire situation at CMU is unfortunate, especially with big projects under way such as the $25-million medical school, and should not have to come down to cutting programs. No one wants to see an end to a program that builds leaders out of young people.
Hopefully, if the Leadership Institute does close, it can be reinstated if Michigan’s economy bounces back.
Balancing a budget will require some give and take from the entire university community. Let’s keep an open mind and see where the next few months take CMU.
