Poly announces budget cuts; fires top administrators

Posted Jan 25, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Jan 25, 2012 at 03:56 PM

One of the first tasks for USF Polytechnic’s new chief was to bore into the budget.

Former chancellor Marshall Goodman had acquired the reputation of being a free spender with high-flying ambitions, and new chancellor David Touchton, a CPA, suspected Poly’s budget might be a little bloated.

Poly said today it was cutting $1 million, mostly in its international initiatives. Several of Poly’s top administrators are losing their jobs: Karen White, Didier Rousseliere, Joel Rodney, David Bobbitt and Michele Davenport-Nuila.

Here’s the announcement:
“The USF Board of Trustees has identified fiscal responsibility as an important task with which I am charged,” said Interim Regional Chancellor David Touchton. “In the last several weeks, I have spent much of my time meeting with key staff to analyze our institutional priorities and look for ways to increase efficiency.

The international initiatives for France, Asia and Central and Latin America have been discontinued. The following positions have been eliminated: Director of Extended University/Global Partnerships Asia; Director of Global Partnerships France/Soft Landing Program/Co-Director Florida France Linkage Institute; and the Senior Grant Specialist which focused on international recruitment in Central and Latin America.

“These changes were strategic and done with a great deal of thought and consideration. I believe this will contribute to our being better fiduciaries of state funds and will go a long way in making us a leaner institution as we focus our energy and resources on accreditation as a STEM institution.”