The employees of the University of Georgia recognize the extreme economic times facing the state.

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As many Georgia citizens have lost jobs or experienced decreased income, the faculty and staff of the University of Georgia also have made sacrifices in response to budget cuts such as decreased pay resulting from furloughs; increased cost of health insurance; and more work responsibilities because of open positions left unfilled.

We are proud of how our dedicated employees have persevered in fulfilling all the missions of the university, despite the hardships being faced. Faculty and staff are willing to continue making sacrifices to help balance the budget, while preserving the integrity of the institution.

Our talented faculty and staff stay in academia, often forgoing higher income in the private sector, because they believe in and wish to contribute to the university's missions, especially that of teaching. Public and private universities, as well as private corporations, recognize they may be successful in recruiting top talent away from university settings during such economic times, and they will dedicate the resources to do so. In fact, many of our best faculty currently have offers from other institutions.

For every talented faculty member we lose, the staff who support them will lose jobs, and the research funding or service income that faculty member would generate will be lost. Replacing that faculty member will be difficult, in most cases more costly, and it will be several years before the new faculty member can establish his or her program and become productive.

While these costs of faculty turnover are real, the greatest loss cannot be counted in dollars; the education of our current and future students will suffer. The best instructors in the classroom are those who are renowned experts in their field. Loss of these individuals from our campus will negatively affect teaching at all levels.

The reputation of the University of Georgia and the quality of instruction rests on the accomplishments of its outstanding faculty, supported by its exceptional staff. It is vital that we do everything possible to retain our great faculty and staff to sustain the tradition of excellence at the University of Georgia.

(The writers are, respectively, the deans of the following schools and colleges at the University of Georgia: the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; the School of Law; the College of Pharmacy; the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; the College of Education; the Graduate School; the Terry College of Business; the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication; the College of Family and Consumer Sciences; the College of Veterinary Medicine; the School of Social Work; the College of Environment and Design; the School of Public and International Affairs; the College of Public Health; and the Odum School of Ecology.)