The Financial and Budgetary Affairs Committee will meet tonight to provide suggestions for how President Jo Ann Gora and her cabinet of seven vice presidents might cut $15.2 million from the university's operating budget during the next year and a half.
The committee is part of University Council. It consists of eight voting members and three ex officio, or non-voting, members. Its first meeting of the year was in January, when it heard an overview by university treasurer Randy Howard of the situation and the process that would take place to resolve the cuts. This time around, committee members will offer their input.
Members of the committee operate on two-year terms. Mike McGrew, an at large member, said committee members are appointed by the executive members of the Governance and Elections Committee.
Tomorrow, Howard will review the committee's recommendations and analyses from professional faculty who have reviewed some of the proposed ideas.
Chairwoman Sue Weller said it is the Financial and Budgetary Affairs Committee's responsibility is to solicit input and report to the administration. The committee hasn't faced a budget situation of such magnitude for 20 or 30 years, she said.
"This time it's different," she said. "We're getting ideas for the budget from everywhere."
Last spring, the university was facing a loss of 2 or 3 percent from the operating budget. Since then, they've been looking into cost savings, Ann Blakey, associate professor of biology, said.
In the biology department, they've been considering increasing lab fees for students. A few years ago when the study was conducted, these lab fees ranged from a few dollars or as much as $15, she said.
Blakey said last year, the committee was looking at what the state owed the university since they had already approved the budget.
"Now they're cutting back so they're not in the hole with universities," Blakey said. "It's a shift in the way the government's doing business, but it still hurts."
The process this time around is much the same — a briefing from the university treasurer and a subsequent meeting in which the group voices their opinions, which will take place today.
Blakey said she hopes the meeting will result in good discussion and a set of recommendations to go to the president's cabinet.
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