Dear Faculty and Staff, As you know from recent news reports, we have been asked to make plans for
cuts to our permanent operating budget. Declining revenues as a result of tough economic conditions have created significant shortfalls in the state budget. State officials are doing their best to predict the magnitude of lower revenues, and the IHL is doing its best to keep us informed. We are doing our best to understand the impact these cuts will have on the university and to develop strategies that are fiscally responsible.
Recently, vice chancellors, deans and directors were asked to analyze and plan how they might implement cuts to their units in the amounts of 2 percent and 4 percent. Their plans were consolidated into an overall university summary, reviewed in light of the Faculty Senate’s Guiding Principles and Processes for Administrative Budget Decisions and the Staff Council’s Recommendations regarding Budget Decisions, and submitted to IHL on January 15.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we can expect to see many different numbers reported by the media, including staff and faculty reductions that are largely based on planning estimates and projections. We will do our best to keep you informed as actual budgets are established, and as vice chancellors, deans and directors are asked to actually implement budget revisions.
We are a university community that has a long history of successfully overcoming difficult situations. I have the utmost confidence in our ability to develop innovative solutions to this current challenge. You should know that we are committed to preserving jobs, and we appreciate all that you are doing in this tough economic climate to ensure that we remain true to our mission of providing high quality academic programs, research and service to the state, nation and the world.