Budget Cuts FY 2021
The University has decided that the centrally allocated budgets of all academic and administrative units are to be cut by 7.5% starting September 1, 2020. These cuts are to come from “base dollars” and cannot include any temporary measures (such as furloughs, salary reductions, bake sales, etc.).
Since the vast majority (more that 95%) of NSM’s base centrally allocated budget comes from salaries, this means most of the cuts will have to come from the elimination of faculty, staff, and student positions. A 7.5% cut of centrally allocated funds amounts to just over $3.9M for NSM.
In the spirit of transparency, the following is a list of the dollar amounts of the NSM cuts by budget category:
- Tenure-Track Faculty Salaries: $1.55M
- Non Tenure-Track and Adjunct Faculty: $256K
- Graduate Assistants/TAs: $615K
- Exempt and Non-Exempt Staff: $752K
- Student Employees: $183K
- Management and Operations: $293K
- Misc. (Including Fringe Benefits and Travel): $280K
I am not going to pull any punches here; there is no question that these cuts will impair our core missions of instruction and research. In addition, I have been advised that additional cuts could occur depending on enrollment revenues and other unforeseen university losses.
Admittedly things are not ideal, but the College has been working very closely with the departments and administrative units to minimize the damage. The Provost’s Office is also working to plug the holes where possible. It is critical that we maximize enrollment for the upcoming fall and spring semesters.
We have a great College with amazing faculty and staff. Working together, we can weather this storm.