Administration and faculty have worked all summer finding solutions to close one of the steepest budget cuts in school history.
ULM incurred a $7.3 million budget cut at the close of the legislative session, a 9.1 percent reduction from the budget as of July 2011, according to University numbers. Since the 2008-09 school year, the budget has been reduced by $14.6 million, or 16.6 percent. State appropriations to ULM have dropped 44.5 percent since 2009.
In all, the University of Louisiana System, of which ULM is a member, took a $55.5 million cut this year. To put that in perspective, $57.4 million had been cut between last year and fiscal year 2008-09.
Of the nine universities in the system, ULM received the highest percent budget reduction, according to numbers provided by the system office.
“We will continue to deliver quality education while identifying efficiencies and savings, however, results of this budget may mean closing additional programs, further reducing personnel and offering fewer classes for students. My greatest fear of ongoing reductions is the ability to maintain national accreditation of our programs,” said a statement by Randy Moffett, outgoing system president who retired in July.
To make up for the funding shortfall, ULM made changes through cutting staff, minors and the Graphic Services Department. It also raised tuition and combined departments into larger schools within a college.
Self generated revenue (tuition and fees) will generate $41.8 million of this year’s budget, an increase of 34.8 percent since 2009. Tuition was expected to increase at least 10 percent from last year.
Though all tenured staff members were retained, two tenure-track faculty members will not be employed after this academic year. Six non-tenure faculty and four staff members will not be renewed.
Requests for the names and departments of the terminated employees were not immediately answered.
Forty-one positions vacated through resignations or retirements over the last year will not be filled. Since the budget cuts began in 2008, ULM has lost 209 total positions, 34.5 percent of which were faculty and 65.5 percent were non-faculty.
“This has gone pretty quiet as to the impact this has had on the region,” Bruno said during his State of the University address on Friday.
Administrative department head positions were reduced from 18 to seven, and the departments were combined into larger schools within the colleges. The position of executive assistant to the president will not be refilled. The position of associate vice president for academic affairs was eliminated.
Eight low-enrolled minors will be terminated at the end of this academic year. Requests for the names of the programs were not answered. Bruno said in a statement only four students had completed those minors in the last two years.
“ULM is committed to offering the classes needed by students who are making academic progress toward degree completion. While no majors have been eliminated, we have had to modify our academic structure to meet the demands of the budget,” said Bruno.
