UF Provost Janie Fouke and Senior Vice President for Health Affairs Doug Barrett resigned from their posts amid a major restructuring of the way UF handles its financial operations.
At Friday's meeting of the Board of Trustees, UF's highest governing body, UF President Bernie Machen announced that budget operations currently overseen by the Office of the Provost and the University Controller's Office will move to the office of Matt Fajack, who became UF's chief financial officer in January.
Financial management for the Health Science Center and the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will also move to Fajack's office.
The change will begin July 1, said Kyle Cavanaugh, senior vice president for the administration who oversees Fajack.
The resignations will be effective June 30.
Fajack said his new duties would prevent top UF officials from having to contact several people from different offices to answer budget inquiries.
After the change, the provost's office will focus on academic leadership responsibilities. The office currently oversees academic programs and budget operations.
Machen said Fouke will work on improving UF's international program after she leaves the provost's office, and Barrett will return to clinical practice and teaching pediatrics in UF's College of Medicine.
Search committees to fill Fouke and Barrett's positions will be created immediately, and interim appointments will fill the spots until permanent replacements are chosen.
Though Fouke left the meeting quickly after Machen made his announcement, she wrote in an e-mail to the Alligator that the new provost position would be "quite different than the position that I hold."
"It's appropriate for (Machen) to try to fill the new job with a person with a skill set that matches that new job," she wrote.
She did not speculate as to who might fill her position and said she has made no further plans after she completes her one-year term at the International Center.
Barrett said he discussed his resignation with Machen for about seven months, and both agreed it was time for him to return to children's health care.
Barrett wrote in an e-mail to Health Science Center staff and faculty that he realizes the timing of his departure during state-funding shortfalls "could be better," but he would work with Health Science Center leaders to lessen the impact of budget cuts for the remainder of his term.
Machen said he wasn't sure whether the salaries for those two positions would change. Cavanaugh said Fajack's salary would stay the same.
Cavanaugh said once the changes are in effect, there would be ongoing monitoring to ensure they are successful.
Machen said he has been contemplating a major change in UF's inner workings for months. As is evident in funding shortfalls, the way UF currently operates isn't working, he said.
After looking at financial records from the last 20 years, which show dramatic state funding decreases and faculty-student ratio increases, he said he made a tough decision to restructure UF.
"This new model will enable the university to get out of what I see as a downward spiral," Machen said. "I won't say this is a guaranteed success," he added.
Machen told the trustees that UF's new system would be revolutionary among other public state universities. A few universities nationwide are run this way, but most of them are private schools, he said.
The trustees, who have clamored for a drastic change of UF's governance since budget woes were announced several months ago, voiced support of Machen's decision.
After the meeting, Dianna Morgan, chairwoman of the board, said consolidating UF's financial operations is essential to creating more efficient spending habits.
Changes won't end there.
In an interview after the meeting, Machen said in light of a nearly $1.5 billion shortfall in state funds, the Legislature cut $11.5 million from UF on March 12.
More cuts are expected to follow, and trustees said it's unclear how they'll be distributed across the state. While UF is still reeling from a $22 million cut during the Legislature's special session in October, it must quickly brace for more.
Machen said he expects cuts of at least $50 million by the end of the session, which includes the $22 million UF already slashed and the newly announced $11.5 million cut.
He said the cuts could mean fewer faculty and students on campus, but nothing is set in stone. While faculty cuts and smaller undergraduate classes would both be unfavorable, Machen said they might be unavoidable.
"I don't think you can avoid people being impacted," he said.
UF is also considering taking in fewer transfer students this year, but no numbers have been announced.
Transfer student decisions have been postponed until April 15.
Machen said he was waiting on the final word from the Legislature about funding cuts before making any decisions.
In the meantime, last month he asked each UF department to identify ways to cut 6 percent from each of its budgets.
The suggestions will be presented to UF's administration in April.
"It's an adventure," Machen said. "I hope it works out."
