Task force says structure of Vt. State University must be changed

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont State University’s labor task force says the structure of VTSU must be changed in order to save the institution.

At the Statehouse on Thursday, educators and a labor union spoke about concerns for the future of the university system, including saying they have no confidence in leadership.

This comes in response to the university administration’s Optimization 2.0 Plan which faculty say falls short.

They are pushing back against layoffs, and hoping for a change in the number of administrators.

Bills are headed to the floor of the Senate and House requesting changes from the university.

“We have a bloated and growing administration going to the wrong places and at the expense of student-centered positions eliminated in the name of savings. For five-and-a-half-thousand students, we have a chancellor’s office, a president’s office, a shared services systems and a plethora of newly created positions,” said Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, D-Middletown Springs.

The bill requests adding faculty and staff trustees to the board, eliminating the requirement for the university to cut $5 million each year for five years, and also opening the door for the controversial potential closing of a campus.

In response, Beth Mauch, the chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges System released a statement that said in part: “The Vermont State Colleges System is transforming to achieve financial sustainability and modernizing to meet the needs of students today… We know that this amount of change on the timeline required by the state has been difficult, and not all agree with transformation. Now is the time to move forward, not look back.”