Statement from UMass Amherst Chancellor Robert C. Holub on State Budget Cuts

Oct. 15, 2008

To: The Campus Community


As you are all aware, the international financial situation has caused serious difficulties here in the Commonwealth which, in turn, will have direct implications for our campus community at UMass Amherst.

In response to Gov. Patrick’s announced mid-year budget cut of 5 percent, our campus must make cuts of approximately $12 million to our budget. These cuts will be difficult and painful, but we have no choice given current fiscal realities.

To address the immediate cut in this fiscal year, there will be one-time cuts to campus units and a halt to all hiring except for the most critical, strategic positions. To implement this, all hiring must be reviewed and approved by the executive senior officer in each area and by the chancellor.

By taking these one-time budget actions now, we will not request mid-year fee increases, nor will we make cuts to student financial aid. But it is important to note that these are temporary measures for this fiscal year only. Virtually all economic indicators predict that this downturn is significant and will not be easily reversed – here in Massachusetts or around the world. Therefore, we must immediately begin discussions to deal strategically with this fiscal crisis and the base budget reductions these cuts represent in the next fiscal year’s budget. We will be challenged to maintain our academic quality in light of these cuts, but we must commit ourselves to that even as we deal with the inevitable pain these cuts will produce.

In regard to faculty hiring, which is among our highest priorities going forward, I’ve charged the Office of the Provost, in coordination with academic leadership and faculty, with developing a strategic process to manage faculty recruitment. This process will center on faculty-developed proposals to drive this hiring. I envision a process whereby proposals will be developed to fund positions in key areas of strength and/or in areas where our institution has the potential to be among the leaders nationally and internationally. I’d also like to see our faculty directly engaged in developing interdisciplinary approaches. We must direct all our energies to building the best faculty possible – that priority doesn’t change even in light of budget difficulties.

While it is clear we face difficult financial circumstances, we must remain committed to making the strategic choices necessary to help UMass Amherst compete as one of our nation’s best public research universities. I will work closely with the Faculty Senate to devise the best possible solutions to this difficult situation. While this is not good news for our institution, together we can deal with this circumstance and preserve the quality of UMass Amherst.

Over the next several weeks, and looking forward to the next fiscal year, we will solicit your input to determine how to deal best with this financial downturn. I call on all members of our campus community to share their thoughts and suggestions. We will also continue our strategic planning process with a focus on making the best possible decisions for the future of the institution. While there is no doubt the difficult financial situation will cause hardships on campus, now more than ever we must focus our energies and resources on the best strategic choices.

Together, I believe our campus community can weather this challenge, and take the steps necessary to become one of our nation’s very best research universities. I ask you to join me in that effort and in attaining that goal.


Robert C. Holub
Chancellor
University of Massachusetts Amherst

E-mail story to a friend Printer-friendly version