From: Dr. Robert Glidden, President, Ohio University
Hello,
As you know, last week Governor Taft announced a 2.5 percent cut in state funding for public higher education in Ohio. Taken in combination with other shortfalls in revenue, most notably less interest income than had been anticipated, this means that Ohio University must reduce its current-year expenditures by more than $5 million. To make matters worse, we must expect that our revenues from the State and from interest income for the coming year will be reduced by at least that amount. This is a multi-year, multi-budget challenge and reacting in the most positive and innovative fashion is our goal as the institution moves forward.
I fully expected this cut because I doubted that the Ohio General Assembly would cooperate with the Governor in raising revenues as a means to balance the state budget this year. (The Ohio Constitution requires that the budget be balanced, but the Governor cannot unilaterally raise revenues; he can only reduce expenditures.) In fact, if the General Assembly continues to refuse to raise revenues and with tuition caps once again under discussion, our budget challenges only intensify for the coming fiscal year. Bold action will require adjustments by everyone in our University community to meet these challenges in an effective manner and to protect our core mission to maintain academic excellence.
Some steps are already in place. The hiring freeze implemented earlier this year will remain in effect through this fiscal year and most likely through next year as well. A review process to determine essential hires will be maintained, but clearly positions will be lost to attrition and retirement. However, protecting our loyal and hard-working people has been and remains a priority. It is difficult to anticipate the exact scope of our budget challenges due to the political process in Columbus, but we will do everything in our power to preserve jobs during these difficult times.
We must go beyond our traditional approaches to fiscal adjustments and we will be tapping University reserve funds as one strategy to help offset our pressing budget reductions for this year. I have asked Provost Stephen Kopp to convene a team to explore ways in which the University can reduce expenditures. This group will investigate a variety of options and forward its recommendations to me for consideration by March 19.
Difficult decisions will not be made without consultation and engaging our University community in the discussion. While Provost Kopp's team is examining strategies to meet our short- and long-term budget challenges, I will be meeting with the faculty, administrative, classified and student senates as well as our bargaining units to share the fiscal picture and hear their concerns and perspectives. This feedback will be a critical element in our budget deliberations and process that moves forward in April.
We will do our best to keep you informed. I have asked Vice President for Advancement Leonard Raley to lead a second team dedicated to maintaining the timely and effective flow of information during this process.
There are steps each of us can take to persuade decision-makers of the need to be measured in their cuts to higher education. On March 18, I will testify before the Ohio House Finance Subcommittee on Education to advocate, along with two other university presidents and four students (including our own Katherine Smith, Truman Scholar and president of Student Senate), for lawmakers to invest in their state's future by preserving funding for Ohio's colleges and universities.
I would encourage you to become an advocate as well. That is important because lawmakers tell us they never hear from the citizenry with concerns about higher education funding. In order to respond, the Ohio University Alumni Association has established a new link on the Ohio University Web site or Front Door, "Advocate for Ohio University," to encourage all friends of the University to get involved. The link -- http://capwiz.com/ohio -- guides you to a Web site that makes it easy to establish direct communication with your elected officials. Your voice can make a difference and I invite you to join with our alumni and other supporters in this important effort.
There is no minimizing the difficult times that lie ahead. We may be called upon to be more creative, innovative and collaborative than at any time since the early 1970s. It's precisely because of our tradition of meeting our every challenge over two centuries that I have the utmost confidence of our ability to emerge from these trials as a stronger and more unified institution.
Thanks for your understanding and your help!
