Chancellor announces $2m in administrative cutbacks

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 Robert C. Holub announced this week.

In an all-campus e-mail sent Dec. 16, Holub detailed preliminary plans for reductions in the Chancellor’s Area, Academic Affairs administration and capital construction.

“Our university can and will deal with this very difficult financial crisis, but it will require sacrifice from all of us,” said Holub. “While further cuts in our central administration will be required, and each of the vice chancellors will bring forward budget reduction plans, I thought it was important for us to make hard choices centrally now, and to share those with you.”

Holub said 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. The reduction includes $500,000 for refurbishing academic offices and laboratories, $464,000 in long-term deferred maintenance funds, and $500,000 for relocating administrative and academic units during renovations.

Meanwhile, some $5 million in capital construction is being put on hold immediately and the money will be redirected to “critical one-time need areas,” said Holub.

Holub said spending is also being curtailed in other areas:

• All centrally controlled thermostats are being set to 67 degrees to save energy. Occupants of other buildings are being asked to lower their thermostats to the same level.

• Administrative travel is being limited to essential trips and those related to fundraising and governmental relations.

• Spending will be reduced for an outside contractor to lobby for federal support. Holub said the cut will be offset by having the campus’ government relations staff boost efforts to have faculty, staff and alumni advocate on behalf of the campus.

• Support for community events at the chancellor’s residence will be scaled back and such events will be eliminated when “possible and appropriate.”

Meanwhile, Holub is awaiting the report of the Budget Planning Task Force, a panel of faculty, students and staff charged with recommending a response to this year’s state budget cuts as well as those anticipated for next year.

“There are no easy answers to a cut of this size, but I am hopeful that this group will provide innovative ideas to help me with the difficult choices ahead,” said Holub.

Suggestions from the campus community submitted through the budget website have been sent on to the task force chair, Linguistics professor John McCarthy, and others on campus, Holub said. The chancellor also met with union leaders and encouraged them to provide thoughts and insights on how to deal with the budget crisis.

“I know there are difficult decisions ahead, but in working together I believe we can weather this storm,” said Holub. “I encourage the entire campus community to work closely together during this ongoing budget process and to continue to provide thoughts and suggestions via the webpage and through the task force.”

December 17, 2008.

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