Proposed budget cuts go deep and wide at OU

In its first draft of budget cuts for the 2011 fiscal year, the Ohio University administration proposes slashing spending by $13.75 million, while preserving current faculty and scholarships and cutting some staff positions and other spending across the university.

Announced Monday, these proposed budget cut recommendations came after planning unit heads submitted 5 and 10 percent budget reduction scenarios to OU President Roderick McDavis to review with Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit and Interim Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Mike Angelini. The three leaders reviewed the recommendations in meetings with planning unit heads to develop this first draft of cuts.

"In making these recommendations the goal was to protect as much as possible instructional capacity, enrollment objectives, research and creative activity, graduation/retention rates, the student experience, and activities that are essential to the functioning of the university," according to the report. "Even within those core categories the size of the overall reduction required making difficult decisions, some of which will affect elements of those categories. Whenever possible, the recommendations sought to protect priorities at the ground level."

The proposed budget document listed cuts in two categories "“ proposed and "difficult to reduce." Items in the difficult category were proposed by planning units but deemed essential to the academic mission and/or not feasible to cut.

Under this plan, jobs would be eliminated at the Kennedy Museum of Art to save $18,000 and in the Graduate College to save almost $68,000.

The proposed cuts also would reduce staff positions in Alden Library and would cut student employment hours there, saving $43,500 overall.

The colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Communication, Fine Arts and Health and Human Services all proposed staff reductions, according to the report.

While no faculty lines were eliminated in the budget proposal, the introduction to the report stated that on Feb. 12 the Budget Planning Council voted to remove the $1.2 million investment in new faculty lines outlined in the body's original budget assumptions.

Faculty Senate Chair Joe McLaughlin said Monday he has not had ample time to review the recommendations but applauded the university's administration for its work on the matter.

"I commend our upper administrators for working around the clock to get this information out to the community for comment and feedback," said McLaughlin, a professor of English.

The Office of the Provost would see the greatest proportion of cuts, with 8.69 percent of its budget sliced, totaling more than $1 million. The proposed cuts come from support staff retirement, staff reductions and reductions in activity. The OU Press General Fund Subsidy under the Office of the Provost has the greatest proposed cuts, with $180,000 in reductions coming from reorganization and reductions in full-time employees, hours and overall staff, according to the report.

The Office of the President faces the second-highest percentage of proposed cuts at 7.87 percent of its budget ($410,000), mainly through a reduction in expenses, the report said. The office would reduce vehicle and supply expenses to the tune of $184,000.

Of the university's colleges, the report lists the Graduate Student College as seeing the highest percentage of recommended cuts at 7 percent, with cuts coming from staff reductions and cuts in expenses such as travel and supplies.

The rest of the university's colleges would see between 4.64 and 5.31 percent cuts, according to the report.

The Faculty, Student and Classified and Administrative senates are planning to host a series of budget forums Feb. 23-25 for the university community to provide feedback on the budget scenarios. Faculty, staff and students can also provide feedback on the budget through the university's budget Web site. Those comments will be accepted until March 12, and the final reduction plan will be announced March 29. The Board of Trustees will review the plan at its April meeting and approve the budget at its June meeting.

"While every effort was made to put the data at hand to best use and to consider the potential consequences of the choices that were made, the draft recommendations need further refinement," the report acknowledges. "Undoubtedly, there are things that have been overlooked and elements that should be re-examined."

Some planning units failed to outline budget cuts that the administration could accept, so those units must go back and make more cuts to hit the targets laid out in this round of cuts. The university's Alden Library still has $105,000 to slash in order to hit its 5.29 percent cuts, and the Office of Advancement has $57,000 to reach its 5.28 percent cut.

The Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration, Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Communications, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Health and Human Services and University College all must provide the McDavis administration with plans for additional cuts as well.

The dean of University College, David Descutner, would take a $10,000 salary cut, according to the report.

Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation would see 7.62 percent ($600,000) and 7.55 percent ($363,000) cuts, respectively. ICA would see a $200,000 reduction in administrative staff expenses and another $200,000 reduction in marketing and communication costs. The department would also cut administrative expenses by $180,000.

Campus Recreation's proposed budget cuts include reductions in programming, hours of operation, and marketing and business operations. The cuts would eliminate Campus Recreation's van fleet and special event social programming as well.

While the university continues to plan for $13.75 million in cuts for the upcoming fiscal year, the budget report points out that fiscal year 2012 will also be difficult.

"The various factors that made it necessary for Ohio University to reduce its budget in FY 2011 will remain in FY 2012," the report stated. "A critical factor continues to be reductions in state support. At this time, we do not anticipate additional federal stimulus funding to support higher education in FY 2012 and, instead, anticipate the loss of at least an additional $11.4 million."

The report goes on to say that BPC, university leadership and the university community must work throughout the next months to create a multiyear plan with an initial focus on 2012.

The president will provide another budget update on March 10 with a listing of the most promising suggestions submitted to the budget Web site in December and January.