Dr. Diane Allen, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, says she has not heard President Janet Dudley Eshbach say she is terminating funding for Delmarva Public Radio.
Dr. Allen says that the Salisbury University Foundation is weighing options for the stations and no decision has been made.
But in a statement released by the media relations department she added that the station cannot expect the University to “indefinitely provide an unlimited subsidy.”
The statement notes that Universities are facing difficult choices in allocating resources.
The issue was raised at a meeting last week of the Foundation’s Radio Committee.
The statement notes that Eshbach was in attendance.
Statement
According to Dr. Diane Allen, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, she has not heard President Dudley-Eshbach say she is terminating funding for Delmarva Public Radio. Conversely, the president and her representatives have been working diligently with the SU Foundation to find a way to continue its operation.
Universities nationwide, including others with campus-based public radio stations, are facing difficult choices regarding the allocation of resources. In recent years, the amount of state support per full-time equivalent student (FTES) at SU has steadily dropped. According to the Maryland FY 13 Budget, Salisbury ranks at the bottom of University System of Maryland campuses in combined revenues from state funds and tuition and fees per FTES.
According to Dr. Allen, the SU Foundation, as the owner of the stations, is still weighing options for the stations. No decision has been made, however the Foundation does not expect the University to indefinitely provide an unlimited subsidy, she said. During the life of the stations, SU has given over $5 million in direct and in-kind support.
The president was not at the meeting where the statement was attributed to her.
