Here are a few suggestions: 1) Begin by asking: "Who the hell are you to tell us how to do our jobs, including teaching ad research? You don't have the faintest idea of what our problems are as faculty." 2) Then tell them about academic freedom and question their commitment to a enlightened college community. 3) Then say something like: "OK, you want to cut costs -- I know some management positions and salaries that could be cutback sharply." 4) Then ask them whether and when the plan on telling students about how the quality of education will be affected by their rationalization. 5) Then have the faculty union (if there is one meet) and ask your union sisters and brothers: "Are we going to let them tell us how to teach and do our jobs? I say: it's about time we stood up to them and started acting more like trade unionists than professionals." This isn't probably what you had in mind when you asked for advice. You probably wanted statistics and historical references. The issue you will find, though, isn't about data, it's about class struggle and solidarity. In PEN-L solidarity, Jerry