University of Florida Eliminates Computer Science Department

The University of Florida announced this past week that it was dropping its computer science department, which will allow it to save about $1.7 million. The school is eliminating all funding for teaching assistants in computer science, cutting the graduate and research programs entirely, and moving the tattered remnants into other departments. Let’s get this straight: in the midst of a technology revolution, with a shortage of engineers and computer scientists, UF decides to cut computer science completely? They stand to "save" $1.7 million, while their athletic budget is $99 million - up more than $2 million from last year. FTW?

Full article at Forbes.

A reader has amplified this a bit. Not as bad as the original article implied, but not good either.

Contrary to some reports, Florida is not eliminating its computer science department. Instead, it is proposing a radical restructuring that will kill the research arm of one department, scattering its faculty and leaving any left behind with an expanded teaching burden and fewer teaching assistants. Whether it would be better to simply kill it isn't clear.

The rest is at ars technica.