Killing Geology in Florida

Joe Meert has been blogging on the “progress” of state budget negotiations in the Florida legislature. State universities are going to take massive financial hits, and the University of Florida has decided to adapt to those hits by effectively eliminating whole departments, including the Geology department. Those who have any influence in Florida should contact the appropriate state legislators ASAP: the negotiations are going on right now and will be finished over the weekend.

The response of the several universities in the state system vary. The University of South Florida is cutting jobs, but not laying off untenured or tenured faculty. The University of Florida, on the other hand, is cutting whole programs. Nothing like a meat axe to encourage higher education.