> Why is Southern Miss asking for all of this information when no other state university is going through the same process?

Well it obvious you don't have good contacts with the other four year institution, because they are. While some may be working on it in other ways and under different urgencies, none believe they will be immune to further reduction in state assistance

> If degree programs are eliminated, Southern Miss will find it very difficult to reinstate these programs in the future.
True, but if you dont have to revenue to continue them today, what is the point of wasting what limited resources just to save a little bit of time and effort years later.

> Elimination of degree programs will not save funding for at least a year or more because faculty will have to be maintained to allow current students to complete degree requirements.

That why you have to start planning today and not wait until the last minute to try to cut cost.  A program that is scheduled to be phased out over the next year or two, can be save if future funds are available.

> Is the Provost and CFO getting the cart before the horse again?
Absolutely, as they should. Its called a continuance plan. Anyone that has ever dealt with the state legislation knows, 2 million can turn into 10 is a split second. My hats off for an administration that is actually thinking ahead and trying to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

Throwing people overboard and reorganizing the university without input from the affected parties is a leadership style survivors of the Thames administration would recognize. Suddenly discovering that your unit is on the chopping block as a fait accompli via some list is hardly the product of enlightened leadership. Temporary emergency measures to balance the budget are not the same thing as a university reorganization. Using the former to achieve the latter and to avoid legitimate input is dishonest.

"Elimination of degree programs will not save funding for at least a year or more because faculty will have to be maintained to allow current students to complete degree requirements"

ANSWER: Unfortunately, this is simply not true according to administrators that I've spoken to (as late as this morning).  The university is not under any sort of legal obligation (though they are opening themselves up for serious lawsuits) to maintain a program for more than 1 year after they have announced it's termination.  In short, if there are 100 students in "XYZ" program at Southern Miss and it's decided that the program is going to be cut, the university basically gives the students one year to complete their degree or transfer elsewhere.  They do not have to keep the program in exsistence until all current students complete/graduate.

Now, if this is what the university is acutally going to DO or not, I can't speak to that.  However, this is most certainly an option for them.