public schools

A national organization representing thousands of university professors is criticizing program cuts and faculty layoffs at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

In a letter addressed to President David Flanagan, the American Association of University Professors questions the severity of the university’s financial woes. AAUP says the actions being taken are in “blatant disregard” for tenured faculty.

Since the Great Recession, the amount of money states invest in public higher education has dropped dramatically. That, coupled with a steep drop in enrollment, has led some state university systems to cut faculty and academic programs altogether. In Maine, where Republican Paul LePage secured a second term as governor on Tuesday, those cuts are unlikely to be restored.

Massachusetts will need to graduate more college students to meet a growing demand for skilled workers. That's the finding of a report released Tuesday by the Department of Higher Education. 

The report, called "Degrees of Urgency," finds by 2020 the number of high school graduates in Massachusetts will shrink by 9 percent. Higher Education Commissioner Richard Freeland calls it the perfect storm.