State
budget problems brought on by the sluggish economy and a need to funnel
more money to Ohio's K-12 education system will cost Ohio University
at least $6.4 million this fiscal year alone.
Gov. Bob
Taft announced in October that Ohio's public colleges and universities
would have to give up $99.5 million in already-budgeted funds. The University
also has no guarantee that the 6 percent cut will be the last of this
academic year.
Central
reserves were used to cover much of the funding reduction, although
officials stressed that was a one-time only solution. Additional cuts
this year would be difficult to handle centrally. However, President
Robert Glidden says an attempt will be made to avoid program cuts, layoffs
and a midyear tuition increase, a move taken by several universities
around the state. "We do not plan to raise tuition midyear, and
we should be able to keep to that plan unless we encounter significant
additional cuts," Interim Provost Gary Schumacher says. "We
have not yet decided on the tuition increase for next year."
Suggestions
for expenditure reductions are being gathered from departments across
campus in advance of the finalization of next year's budget.
"The
University has shown prudent management of its resources, and that did
allow it to handle the initial cut in a manner that had a more manageable
impact on the individual budget units," Schumacher says. "This
is important because the long-term future of Ohio University depends
on our making progress on the key elements of the University's mission,
even in difficult budgetary times."
Susan
Green
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