Dr. Julia Marlowe quickly gains the attention of the 250-plus students in her HACE 3100 class by reminding them of an upcoming test.

“I always put a question like this on the test,” she notes, pointing to information on the large overhead projector screen. “And I always get a lot of wrong answers.”

Marlowe can remember teaching the forerunner of HACE 3100 as far back as 1985. Back then, the class roll might number in the mid-30s. Even up until 1992, Marlowe’s rolls show only 39 students in the class. This semester, 265 students are on the roll, but not as many as the 300 she had in spring 2004.

“We used to take the class on field trips so they could see how community affairs offices worked. Now, we have a speaker come to class,” Marlowe says of the changes that have occurred with the growth of her class. “The tests were different, too. I could have essay questions then. Now, the tests are multiple choice because there’s no way I could grade 300 essay questions.”

Marlowe also has dropped the project requirements of the course. In the past, students developed projects assessing a variety of products, information that later was incorporated into lesson plans used by 4-H students at middle schools and high schools throughout Georgia.

Marlowe is just one of several FACS faculty taking on more classes with more students as the College struggles to deal with four years of budget cuts and the possibility of even more, according to Dean Sharon Y. Nickols.

“Since 2000 our enrollment has increased 75 percent, while our state budget appropriation has essentially stayed flat,” she says. “We’ve never had surplus funds, so any reduction required stretching resources to just about the breaking point.”

As a part of the cuts, the College has lost four full-time faculty positions, as well as a part-time foods and nutrition position. Three FDN research technician positions have been eliminated, as well as two departmental staff support positions and two positions in the College’s business office.

“We’ve been fortunate that there were a couple of retirements and some positions in transition,” Nickols says. “We haven’t had to lay off anyone currently working in the College, but the effect on the workload is the same – folks have had to increase their workload and some things just can’t be done.”

There has also been a tremendous increase in the number of temporary instructors teaching FACS classes.

“Prior to 2001 we had no more than one or two classes taught by temporary instructors, and that was important to us,” Nickols says. “Faculty members in our College have expressed a strong belief in the value of full-time faculty teaching our undergraduate students. This semester we have 14 temporary instructors, which is both a fortunate and an unfortunate circumstance. It’s fortunate because it’s the only way we can offer courses the students must have to make suitable progress toward graduation. It’s unfortunate because temporary instructors, while qualified to teach, don’t advise students or share the other duties of the faculty.”

Doubling and tripling class sizes also has an effect on how courses are taught. For example, writing intensive assignments are no longer possible in Consumer Economics courses; case study assignments are no longer possible in Fashion Merchandising; field trips to businesses, industry and not-for-profit agencies have been eliminated because it’s not feasible to take classes that range from 50-85 students; and student presentations have been eliminated in a number of classes due to high enrollment.

Professor Marlowe notes that it also limits her ability to know students.

“When I had fewer than 50 students in the class, I learned all of their names,” she says. “With more than 200, there’s just no way I can do that.”

Marlowe also is concerned for students when they need faculty references.

“So many of our classes are now so big, that it’s hard for faculty to know students,” she says. “Students have to make a much greater effort outside of class to meet faculty.”

Budget cuts also have impacted Honors students, according to Associate Dean Jan Hathcote.

“An Honors class is limited to 15 or 20 students. But a regular section can have 145 to 200 students,” Hathcote says. “With our increased enrollment, but limited resources, we must have the large classes.”

Even study trips are being eliminated. The Washington, D.C., study tour for housing and consumer policy has been cancelled for Maymester 2005 so that faculty can teach a larger number of students on campus. The trip, which has been held every other year since 1991, is considered one of the most valuable practical learning experiences for undergraduates, but was limited to 40 students. By remaining on campus, faculty will be able to teach two to three times that many students during Maymester.

The impact of budget cuts extends beyond the classroom in its impact on students.

The increased teaching load means faculty have less time to advise students on both academic and career development issues. Supplemental materials for classes have been reduced due to a decrease in supplies (only 2.7 percent of the college’s state-appropriated funding is for non-personnel services). Graduate assistantships have been reduced, resulting in an inability to increase graduate enrollment and insufficient graduate teaching assistants to help with the larger courses.

“We’re fortunate that our faculty members have been successful in obtaining grants,” Nickols says. “The money we use for office operations, support of teaching and supplies for more than half of the year come from indirect cost recovery and salary savings that are generated by grants. Unfortunately, that too will begin to decline because the ability of faculty to submit grant proposals is being limited by their increased teaching responsibilities.”

The College’s outreach and Extension programs also are being affected by budget cuts. Two state specialist positions have been lost to budget cuts and currently there are only 44 FACS county Extension agents to provide services for Georgia’s 159 counties. In addition, at least one state specialist is doing double duty. Don Bower is trying to maintain his statewide programs while also serving as interim department head for child and family development. The position of full-time department head can’t be filled until there is a retirement.

There are a few bright spots, however, Nickols says.

“Because we have an historic commitment to knowing our undergraduates, we’ve seen individual students volunteer to help professors,” she says.

For example, two senior HACE students join graduate student Russell Johnson during Marlowe’s HACE 3100 class.

There is an upside to increased student enrollment, however. The dramatic jump in enrollment, coupled with the College’s ability to document high levels of performance compared to peer institutions has resulted in the FACS budget facing lower cuts than other colleges on the campus.

The long-term budget outlook for the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the University of Georgia and the rest of the University System of Georgia is far from settled. More reductions are anticipated, including the possibility of layoffs of current employees, the inability to fill faculty and staff vacancies and the loss of more programs.

“As dean of the College, I’m fortunate that the faculty and staff have consistently worked together to limit the impact of budget cuts on our students and our other constituencies,” Nickols says. “I’m sure we’ll continue to do that, but the impact of this ongoing decline in our resources is hard on morale and has limited our ability to enhance our programs.”

She also notes the broader implications of reduced resources.

“With all the critical issues in Georgia that are in the domain of Family and Consumer Sciences, now is the time we should be investing in our capacity to respond to them, not cutting back.”