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St. Cloud State University
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Lessened faculty speculated
By Natasha Warzecha
Published:
Monday, September 29, 2003
Faculty positions were the largest area impacted when SCSU's budget overview for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 was finalized.
According to the Web site http://www.stcloudstate.edu/budget, when SCSU released the budget plan for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 on July 30, this past summer, faculty positions were reduced over $2 million.
This reduction is due to the budget cuts the state of Minnesota issued after a revenue shortfall last year.
"We just don't have anywhere else to cut," said Diana Burlison, SCSU's associate vice president of administrative affairs.
SCSU has the lowest deferred maintenance at $9 per square foot, and general maintenance employees are responsible for larger areas than any other university in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU). This is due to the fact that SCSU directs its resources toward instruction.
About 61 percent of the budget is dedicated to instruction. "We always put an emphasis on getting our money to the structural component of the university," Burlison said.
Faculty was one of the places where SCSU could reduce spending without disrupting the well-being of the university.
With the reductions, some classes have more students than usual this school year. It also means professors are teaching more than their normal load of classes, and they have less release time to do activities like research and service throughout the community.
"I don't think it's good at all. It could effect the students' time to get help outside of class during office hours because teachers are working more classes than they are used to. It's bound to have an effect," senior Matthew Lahr said.
After anticipating 28 open positions, SCSU has 25 positions currently vacant. The university cut these positions by selecting what they felt were the needs of the students.
"We had some higher demand classes, so we directed some resources toward them. We did what we had to do to see that our students are served," Burlison said.
Last May SCSU moved forward, after a series of campus meetings, with the budget proposal currently in effect. Tuition increased 15 percent to amplify university revenue.
Along with reductions in faculty positions, the university reduced spending in repair and betterment, supplies and a new phone contract was put in place. The university also saved money through reduced costs in utilities and unpaid employee leave this summer when they close Fridays. A five percent increase in salary was installed to allow the payment of pre-existing language in employee contracts.
At this point, SCSU has a balanced budget and has met the MnSCU mandated reserves. The university is planning on taking the budget and tuition issue for fiscal year 2005 to the student government to discuss further.
Burlison said her biggest concern is that the state of Minnesota may not have a balanced budget for 2005. If the state does not get the revenue it has projected, the state could possibly pass out more budget cuts to the university This would affect SCSU's 2005 fiscal year with additional reductions.
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