The University of Kentucky Senate Council sent a memo to University President Dr. Eli Capilouto on Thursday in response to the University's recent budget cuts.
The school is currently in a $43 million dollar shortfall and has already cut 140 positions and leaving another 164 vacant.
Faculty and staff who make up the Senate Council, say they want more transparency from the president's office on the cuts, specifically where future expected cuts will come from.
The Senate Council says there is growing frustration among the faculty and staff who say enrollment is rising while the number of faculty and resources is shrinking.
They also question how much a lack of state government financing has really effected the University's budget.
The University is expected to lose 20 million in state funding over the next two fiscal years, however the Senate Council feels that's only a small part of the financial problem facing the school.
The Senate Council says they feel the President's current initiatives, which include spending on construction projects, increased scholarships and other investments is costing the school about 50 million dollars.
Dr. Eli Capilouto was not available for comment on camera, but did release this statement below:
"In past 18 months, I’ve met with thousands of members of our UK community – our faculty, students and staff -- to initiate a process of ongoing dialogue so that we can continue to make informed and better decisions. As part of that, we will take all constructive feedback from the UK community so that we can fully understand the issues everyone faces. That process of feedback is critical as we find ways to grow, even in the face of some $50 million in state funding cuts since 2007. Even during those reductions, for instance, the institution has increased its instructional faculty by nearly 10 percent – a clear commitment to enhancing and strengthening undergraduate education.”
– Eli Capilouto, president, University of Kentucky."
