 |
|
|
INSIDE IOWA STATE
February 15, 2002
Task force begins review of budget-cutting proposals
Iowa State's top administrators have submitted plans for cutting $16.5
million from the university's operating budget for the year that will begin
July 1. Plans from the three vice presidents, the provost and the president
would cut 4 percent from the budget -- the amount leaders think will be
needed to cover deappropriations this year and anticipated reductions in
state funding for FY03.
Collectively, the plans propose eliminating the full-time equivalent (FTE)
of 89.5 currently filled positions and another 63.3 FTE of currently vacant
positions. Here's the breakdown on the filled positions being
eliminated:
- Layoffs due to position eliminations: 38.1 FTE
- Positions eliminated following planned retirements: 16.9 FTE
- Graduate assistantships eliminated: 34.5 FTE
Administrators propose that another 4.7 FTE positions would be cut back but
not eliminated. Finally, funding for 71.6 FTE positions would move from
reliance on state funding to other sources, including grants, contracts and
user fee support. These employees would not lose their positions. Salary and
benefits savings from eliminated, reduced or funding-shifted positions
account for about $11.3 million of the total proposed savings.
As proposed, the other piece of the savings would result from dozens and
dozens of cuts to supply budgets, services and programs, for example,
mandating further "paperless" business processes (a savings of almost
$88,000), closing the Office of External Affairs, eliminating undergraduate
programs with low enrollments, cutting elective courses and class sections
for other courses, ending a toll-free phone line in enrollment services
($12,000) and consolidating the administration of two academic departments.
What's next
The plans remain proposals at this point. The President's Task Force on
Strategic Effectiveness and Budget Priorities will review them this month
and make recommendations to President Gregory Geoffroy by March 1. Geoffroy
is not expected to announce final reduction plans until the end of the
Legislative session, when the actual budget reduction figure is clear.
|
Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-4111
Published by: University Relations,
online@iastate.edu
Copyright © 1995-2001, Iowa State University. All rights reserved.
|
|