Campus Budget
Update on the Campus Budget
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December 9, 2009
Today, as we approach the close of another semester in an especially eventful year, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of our hard-working staff and faculty for their various and varied contributions to the campus. Many of you have offered me words of encouragement over the past several months, and I appreciate the signs of support you have given me and our administration during this difficult period.
We are experiencing troubling economic times. Nonetheless, I am proud of how our institution has remained committed to providing our students with the best quality education possible, and of how our campus community has worked together to build an even better university. We have much to be thankful for, and much to be proud of. The economy is especially troubling, but the health of this institution – as measured by the quality of our students, the accomplishments of our faculty, and the dedication of our staff – has never been better.
While we faced real cuts this year, the coming fiscal year promises to be much more challenging, and today I want to provide you with an update on what we see ahead, and the steps we are taking to mitigate the negative impact of the economic recession.
In this current fiscal year, the infusion of federal stimulus funds has enabled us to avoid the kinds of drastic cuts that would have resulted from the enormous reduction in our state allocation. We have, however, reduced our base budget by more than $10 million, much of it from administrative areas. But because of stimulus funding we have not yet felt the pain of the major reduction in state support. The Obama administration has warned that many state and local agencies will face a “funding cliff” next year, and here at UMass Amherst we are no different. We estimate that our state allocation will be reduced by $50 million or more in the coming fiscal year – an enormous and potentially devastating cut.
We have put in place a number of initiatives designed to cope with our budget situation, most of them developed in collaboration with the Budget Planning Task Force, which is comprised of faculty, staff, and students. The ideas range from new and innovative master’s degree programs, student recruitment strategies, and summer initiatives, to budget reduction priorities and fee increases. We will continue to work closely with all constituencies on ideas to generate revenues in new and inventive ways, cognizant of the fact that every new dollar we raise is one less dollar we must cut.
We have also worked to engage our students, alumni, and other supporters in an institutional advocacy network to make the case in both Washington and Boston that support for UMass Amherst is a critical investment. We have created a special website at www.umass.edu/advocates that contains tools and information to assist all of you who wish to advocate on our behalf. We welcome your thoughts and suggestions on the best ways to engage both our constituents and our elected officials.
Next month Governor Patrick will submit his budget proposal, and in the ensuing months the state legislature will finalize a budget for the Commonwealth. Our administration is committed to advocating forcefully for UMass Amherst, by making the case that support for the hard-working faculty and staff, and the great education we provide to students, is an essential investment for Massachusetts that must be preserved and protected. We will also be working with our federal representatives, seeking support from Washington wherever possible. As many of you may know, the campus has already secured close to $40 million in competitive research grants as part of the overall stimulus spending. We will continue to pursue these funds aggressively and seek additional support wherever possible.
We will inform you about major initiatives on campus, and will count on all members of our campus community – faculty, staff, and students – to participate in our planning process. Together, we will weather these difficult times and emerge a stronger institution.
While we can anticipate difficult times ahead, as we head into the semester break, I think we should reflect on the many impressive achievements of the campus, on the high quality of our institution, and on the outstanding individuals who work and learn here. I wish you all a joyful and safe holiday season, and look toward the New Year with optimism that we will, together, continue to realize the enormous potential of this great campus.
Chancellor Robert Holub
