Trimming down the budget
With fear and anxiety about the proposed $6.5 million budget cuts for USU hanging in the air, it seems fitting that the review of unit budget cuts should begin on Halloween.
Following a $6.5 million reduction in state tax funds to higher education, USU President Stan Albrecht established a six-member Budget Reduction Committee to review reduction plans by individual units across the university. The committee begins reviewing the plans Friday and will continue through Nov. 5, after which the committee will submit their proposal to Albrecht for final approval on Dec. 1, said Fred Hunsaker, vice president for business and finance.
Though the cuts will not be altogether painless, Hunsaker said the reductions will be made in a manner to preserve core university functions and the long-term interests of the university.
“I’m convinced that the process will produce the required results with the least disruption of students and with the least disruption of the university’s positive direction,” Hunsaker said. “How can you take cuts and not disrupt something? It’s because they’re going to be strategic, they’re going to be measured and they’re going to be coordinated.”
The committee is co-chaired by Hunsaker and Provost Raymond Coward, and also includes Vice President Noelle Cockett, Dean Scott Hinton, professor John Kras from the Faculty Senate and staff member Marsha Howell.
For planning purposes, the committee asked all university units to submit a proposal for a 5.5 percent reduction of state tax dollars, Hunsaker said. From there, Hunsaker said the committee will review the proposals and submit a final proposal that meets the 4 percent cut mandate from Albrecht.
Though the standard rate was asked of all units, Hunsaker said, when the final proposal is submitted to Albrecht, not all units will bear the same weight of the burden.
“The implementation will not be even across all units, rather, it will be strategic,” Hunsaker said. “The purpose of that is to make targeted cuts that will protect the long-term future of the university and maintain its core functions.”
The committee will review two sets of proposals from each vice president and dean: one for fiscal year 2009 and one for fiscal year 2010. The 2009 budget can include “one-time money” and is short-term, while the 2010 budgets are more long term.
To provide the best results, Hunsaker said the committee has established a set of seven guidelines and four procedures. One of the key guidelines is to not make any cuts that will damage revenue streams, he said. Also, the committee will attempt to make cuts in ways that will avoid a reduction in the workforce, he said, though this may not always be possible.
While it is too early to determine where the cuts will come from and which colleges, departments and majors will be affected the most, Hunsaker said it is important to remember that all affected units have a say in this process and these budget cuts are being made to maintain the broad university mission.
“There’s no hard and fast answers at this point,” Hunsaker said. “I think we’ll produce good results because it’s going to be strategic.”
Besides the submitted unit recommendations, the committee will also review recommendations from an online forum on the budget cuts.
To view the guidelines and policies the Budget Reduction Committee will follow through this process, click here. To view the comments on the president’s forum, click here.
–seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu