Official University Emails
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Sent: 2010-04-28
From: President Bill Perry
To: Employees
From: President Bill Perry
To: Employees
Subject: Budget Email--April 2010
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to report to the campus regarding our current (i.e. Fiscal Year 2010) status and next year’s (Fiscal Year 2011) budget plans.
With respect to this year, we have received just over 50% of our General Revenue appropriation. Our hiring freeze, equipment purchase freeze, cost avoidance and savings measures, conservative budgeting, and depletion of all cash available to us, enable us to complete our obligations through the end of June 2010. We continue to make our cash flow needs known to the Offices of the Governor and Comptroller. They remain committed to distribution of our remaining General Revenue appropriations from Fiscal Year 2010—the timing depends on cash receipts at the state level. All parties know that meeting our obligations through August enables the university to bring its tuition revenues to the table to combine with General Revenue appropriations to meet our financial obligations going forward.
Please accept my thanks for all you have done in our constrained fiscal environment to make our progress possible this year. You have enabled us to serve with distinction.
With respect to next year, we are planning on a $3.12 million reduction in our General Revenue appropriation. This is a 6.25% reduction and represents the loss of federal stimulus funding for education in Illinois. This is the reduction we expected and began planning for earlier this spring. When we met with the Council on University Planning and Budget (CUPB) in March, we presented a two-page budget analysis, which CUPB members shared with their constituencies (this analysis is available at http://www.eiu.edu/~busaff/ ). At our April meeting with CUPB we discussed this document and requested suggestions regarding our approach to the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. The essence of the discussion was that with a moderate (near 6%) increase in new student tuition from Fiscal Year 2010 to Fiscal Year 2011, we can maintain our affordability (recall that the tuition for new students is fixed for four or more years depending on curriculum—6% spread over that period represents about a 2% annual increase) and meet our budget needs with continued conservative budgeting and other cost containment actions. The Board of Trustees recently approved our proposed 6.27% increase in new student tuition.
To broaden the discussion of the Fiscal Year 2011 budget, Vice President Weber will be meeting with the Faculty Senate, the Staff Senate, the Civil Service Council and the Student Senate. As promised in prior emails, we are consulting with those bodies regarding budget. After those discussions, and consideration of feedback from them, we will send an email to the campus to inform everyone of our Fiscal Year 2011 budget plans. The University’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget is to be presented to the Board of Trustees at its June meeting on campus.
In the next couple of weeks we will be announcing the cost savings measures that were suggested by members of the university community and are being adopted. In many cases these measures are voluntary—widespread adoption will enable greater savings.
In the meantime, we are continuing with the measures adopted in January and announced in my email of that month:
*Except for searches already initiated, all hiring is frozen. Exceptions must be approved by the president.
*All operational spending is being reduced or postponed.
*All equipment purchases are frozen. Exceptions must be approved by the respective vice president.
*Operational cost savings will continue to be implemented.
*Non-safety-related maintenance is being reduced or postponed.
*Travel reimbursement is being reduced or postponed.
When I meet prospective and admitted students and their families, they are enthusiastic about EIU, its quality programs, and, without exception, they are very complimentary of our faculty and staff. You continue to make the Eastern difference—personal relationships, excellence, opportunity, and distinctive service. Thank you for doing so in all fiscal environments.
Bill Perry
President
I am writing to report to the campus regarding our current (i.e. Fiscal Year 2010) status and next year’s (Fiscal Year 2011) budget plans.
With respect to this year, we have received just over 50% of our General Revenue appropriation. Our hiring freeze, equipment purchase freeze, cost avoidance and savings measures, conservative budgeting, and depletion of all cash available to us, enable us to complete our obligations through the end of June 2010. We continue to make our cash flow needs known to the Offices of the Governor and Comptroller. They remain committed to distribution of our remaining General Revenue appropriations from Fiscal Year 2010—the timing depends on cash receipts at the state level. All parties know that meeting our obligations through August enables the university to bring its tuition revenues to the table to combine with General Revenue appropriations to meet our financial obligations going forward.
Please accept my thanks for all you have done in our constrained fiscal environment to make our progress possible this year. You have enabled us to serve with distinction.
With respect to next year, we are planning on a $3.12 million reduction in our General Revenue appropriation. This is a 6.25% reduction and represents the loss of federal stimulus funding for education in Illinois. This is the reduction we expected and began planning for earlier this spring. When we met with the Council on University Planning and Budget (CUPB) in March, we presented a two-page budget analysis, which CUPB members shared with their constituencies (this analysis is available at http://www.eiu.edu/~busaff/ ). At our April meeting with CUPB we discussed this document and requested suggestions regarding our approach to the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. The essence of the discussion was that with a moderate (near 6%) increase in new student tuition from Fiscal Year 2010 to Fiscal Year 2011, we can maintain our affordability (recall that the tuition for new students is fixed for four or more years depending on curriculum—6% spread over that period represents about a 2% annual increase) and meet our budget needs with continued conservative budgeting and other cost containment actions. The Board of Trustees recently approved our proposed 6.27% increase in new student tuition.
To broaden the discussion of the Fiscal Year 2011 budget, Vice President Weber will be meeting with the Faculty Senate, the Staff Senate, the Civil Service Council and the Student Senate. As promised in prior emails, we are consulting with those bodies regarding budget. After those discussions, and consideration of feedback from them, we will send an email to the campus to inform everyone of our Fiscal Year 2011 budget plans. The University’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget is to be presented to the Board of Trustees at its June meeting on campus.
In the next couple of weeks we will be announcing the cost savings measures that were suggested by members of the university community and are being adopted. In many cases these measures are voluntary—widespread adoption will enable greater savings.
In the meantime, we are continuing with the measures adopted in January and announced in my email of that month:
*Except for searches already initiated, all hiring is frozen. Exceptions must be approved by the president.
*All operational spending is being reduced or postponed.
*All equipment purchases are frozen. Exceptions must be approved by the respective vice president.
*Operational cost savings will continue to be implemented.
*Non-safety-related maintenance is being reduced or postponed.
*Travel reimbursement is being reduced or postponed.
When I meet prospective and admitted students and their families, they are enthusiastic about EIU, its quality programs, and, without exception, they are very complimentary of our faculty and staff. You continue to make the Eastern difference—personal relationships, excellence, opportunity, and distinctive service. Thank you for doing so in all fiscal environments.
Bill Perry
President