Among its options during the budget crises The Tennessee General Assembly is looking at Downsizing Ongoing Government Services (DOGS) Budget, which could eliminate the Centers of Excellence at all state universities.
The University of Memphis funds a total of five Centers of Excellence, the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI), the Center for Applied Psychological Research (CAPR), Institute for Egyptian Art and Archaeology (IEAA), the Center for Research Initiatives and Strategies for the Communicatively Impaired (CRISCI) and the Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP).
The elimination of these centers would save The U of M, which is facing a estimated $12,400,600 in revenue losses, almost $3 million.
According to Arch Johnson, director of CERI, the centers are a vital part of The U of M and other state institutions.
Johnston said that the higher education funding problems could be solved by implementing a broad-based personal income tax. He said cutting out the Centers for Excellence would only add to the growing problem, because the centers are essential to their institutions.
“These Centers of Excellence are very necessary, and they need the money and resources to try to achieve that excellence in whatever field the particular center is in,” Johnston said.
Johnston also said the Centers of Excellence are the strongest, most efficient parts of the university.
“If you want to try to establish higher quality in higher education, you shouldn’t do that by cutting out your strengths, like the Centers for Excellence, I would argue that you don’t,” Johnston said. “You go to established areas that you’re strong in and build on those, rather than cutting everything down to the lowest common denominator.”
Art Graesser, director of CAPR, said that the DOGS Budget is not the right choice for higher education.
“It would be sheer idiocy for the state to make such a move,” Graesser said. “The legislators are simply not informed about the work that the Centers for Excellence do. It would be an embarrassment to the state of Tennessee, if the DOGS budget passed.”
Many of the Centers for Excellence, like CAPR, earn more money in grants each year than the university invests in them, Graesser said.
“If they cut us out of the budget, they would automatically lose, because for every one dollar invested in the center they university gets about 6 dollars in federal grants,” Graesser said.
According to Curt Guenther, U of M assistant director of media relations, university president Shirley Raines is not planning any cuts until the Tennessee General Assembly decides on the course of action it will take regarding the budget for higher education.
