October 15

Chancellor Robert Holub details how UMass Amherst will reduce spending by $11.3 million in response to mid-year state budget cuts announced by Governor Deval Patrick.

October 23

Chancellor Holub calls for the campus community to help develop plans to cope with state budget cuts, including anticipated reductions next fiscal year. He launches a website dedicated to fiscal matters (www.umass.edu/chancellor/budget.html) and establishes an advisory Budget Planning Task Force. The site includes a primer prepared by the Chancellor to help educate the campus community about university budgeting.

November 6

Chancellor Holub shares plans about faculty hiring, addressing the need to fill critical faculty positions right away and outlining longer-range plans to create a new model for growing the faculty in strategic areas. He also expands the Budget Planning Task Force to include staff and students, and in response to strong campus interest appoints a committee to identify new ways to save energy and reduce related costs.

November 18

The Budget Planning Task Force, chaired by Professor John McCarthy, receives its charge from Chancellor Holub, who wants recommendations on strategic choices that the campus must make as it weathers budget cuts this year and anticipated reductions next year. Budget Director David Murphy provides a primer and outlines future financial options. The committee, he says, must consider where to cut the budget, how much to raise student fees and whether additional sources of revenue can be identified. In preparation for cuts next year, the administration requests each executive area to detail the impact of 3 percent, 6 percent and 9 percent reductions to their areas.

November 25

The Chancellor writes to the Budget Planning Task Force, outlining steps he wants them to consider while noting his highest priority is protecting current tenure-system faculty. He suggests merging schools and colleges to reduce administrative costs; finding ways to deliver the curriculum more effectively and economically, perhaps modifying general education requirements; placing more faculty salaries on grants and contracts to save state funds, and creating first-year seminars for undergraduates as a counterbalance to the introduction of some larger classes.

December 5

Campus union leaders are invited by Chancellor Holub to discuss the financial crisis and are briefed on the latest developments.

December 16

About $2 million in central administration spending is being cut to help the campus meet a projected $38 million shortfall in the coming fiscal year, Chancellor Holub announces. In an all-campus e-mail, he details plans for reductions in the Chancellor’s Area, Academic Affairs administration and capital construction. More than $500,000 will be saved by merging administrative support and eliminating some positions to create a more streamlined structure for the Chancellor’s Office and Provost’s Office. The reductions will occur through attrition, reassignments and, possibly, layoffs. At the same time, about $1.5 million in campus base funding for maintenance and capital projects is being cut. To save energy, all centrally controlled thermostats are set to 67 degrees. Occupants of other buildings should lower their thermostats to the same level.

December 30

Governor Deval Patrick is preparing an additional $1 billion in cuts to the current state budget due to a sharp reduction in tax collections. All state spending is on the table, including higher education.

January 13

In a broadcast e-mail, Chancellor Holub emphasizes that a proposed reorganization of academic administration should cut costs, but also provide a structure that supports the core values of quality teaching and research. Due to the state’s deteriorating financial situation, the campus now estimates the fiscal 2010 deficit will reach $45 million.

UMass Amherst is a nationally-ranked public research university.

© 2009-2010 University of Massachusetts Amherst. Site Policies.
This site is maintained by University Relations.