The state’s deficit is now expected to be even higher, perhaps over $7 billion.
Please keep in mind that the information we will be providing is advisory in nature and that final decisions have not been made regarding what will be cut. The legislative process will unfold over the next several weeks and it will be late spring before a final budget is passed and signed into law by the Governor. Unfortunately, we will be somewhat in limbo until then as we will not know the real magnitude of our cuts until the final budget it passed.
Dick, Lori and I are working very closely with all Directors to develop scenarios that make the most sense for the Campus and do the least harm to our fundamental mission of educating and serving our students. These are very difficult times and I do so appreciate the words I hear and the actions I see every day that demonstrate the commitment of faculty and staff to keeping our mission front and center.
WSU provides updates on the budget process at budget-committee.wsu.edu/
Jan. 13, 2009
Dear Campus Community,
As you know, in addition to the $112,000 reduction in our current year’s budget, we have been directed to plan for a budget reduction of 12% (approximately $870,000) for the upcoming biennium (2009-2011). This would be a permanent budget reduction, which obviously would have long-term effects on our campus operations.While the legislative session began yesterday, it will be months before we know the final budget. The Governor’s budget was released just before Christmas and both the House and Senate will prepare budgets. The real work will then begin to hammer out a final budget that the entire Legislature can live with and the Governor will sign. It will likely be April or May before the final budget is passed.
The Campus Council met last week to begin to discuss ways we can both save money AND generate new dollars at WSU Tri-Cities. The meeting was positive and productive, with a focus on making strategic changes that protect the quality of education, the student experience, and our employees.
We are moving forward with evaluating and implementing some of the ideas that were put on the table during the meeting. Those suggestions included creating a consolidated Advising Center, evaluating the feasibility of closing campus on additional Saturdays, and expanding summer course offerings. We encourage faculty to use our course management system (Blackboard) for “paperless” distribution of syllabuses, assignments, and select readings to reduce copying costs. In addition, effective immediately, we will no longer use campus or program funds to pay for individual membership dues in professional or service organizations or for subscriptions to professional journals/materials.
We will, of course, work with the President and Provost, and the University Budget Committee to assure that we are following the process the University has laid out to plan the budget reduction and implement our reductions in a coordinated way.
Every bit of savings counts. Please continue to be energy conscious by turning off lights, printers, monitors, external drives and photocopiers when not in use. (Computers should remain on for updating purposes.) Evaluate whether you really need a personal appliance in your office, such as a digital photo frame or a refrigerator. Also, please share any ideas or suggestions you may have for reducing our budget AND/OR generating new or additional revenue.
We have some tough times ahead and difficult decisions to make, but I remain confident that, working together, we will get through this and emerge a stronger campus.
Dec. 12, 2008
Dear Campus Community,
I wanted to follow up on President Floyd’s recent letter to the University regarding our budget situation. As you are aware, the state’s budget deficit is projected to be approximately $5.6-5.7 billion when the Legislative session begins on January 12. Governor Gregoire has already directed WSU to reduce its current fiscal year budget by $10.5 million. This means that WSU is required to return $10.5 million to the state’s general fund by June 30, 2009. The reduction to our campus’ budget is $112,000. Thanks to President Floyd’s concern for our budget situation this amount is less than the $192,000 reduction originally planned for us. The 2009-11 biennial budget is expected to contain even larger reductions. We do not yet know any details. The Governor’s budget will be released within the next two weeks, followed by House and Senate budgets that will be developed in the early weeks of the Legislative session. The final budget will be approved by the Legislature sometime in late spring, so it will be several months yet before we know exactly what our budget will be.
However, we do know there will be significant reductions in order to deal with the large state deficit. Therefore, we are taking a number of actions, both at the University and campus level, to respond to anticipated cuts.
As you read this week President Floyd and Provost Bayly will co-chair a University-wide budget committee. This committee will:
- review and assess all potential action plans related to the university’s overall budget
- help provide clear communication and feedback to the university community regarding the budget actions being considered
- encourage the university community to share ideas on how to cut costs, operate more efficiently, increase revenue and more effectively fulfill the university’s mission.
I will be working closely with the Vice Chancellors and Directors to identify how we can work through these budget uncertainties and best position WSU Tri-Cities for future reductions. A number of steps have already been and will be taken, some of which were communicated to you last week:
- Reassignment of responsibilities of frozen positions (e.g., in addition to their vice chancellor positions, Lori Selby is the director of facilities and Dick Pratt is the director of Sciences)
- Closure of campus on Saturdays during the holiday season (Dec. 20, Dec. 27, and Jan. 3)
- Energy conserving actions:
- Lowering the heat from 72 to 70 degrees during the work day
- Lowering the heat to 65 at night
- Using task lamps instead of overhead lights
- Disconnecting under-used fax and phone lines
- Closing blinds when you leave your office for the day
- Turning off lights when you leave your office
- Turning off of printers and photocopiers at the end of the day
Let me reiterate that our decisions will be based upon our commitment to maintaining the highest quality of educational programming and services to our students. Your dedication through these uncertain times is crucial to the success of our campus and I thank you all for your continued efforts. It is only through working together that we will make the necessary adjustments, weather this storm and move forward in the best way possible. Let me also reiterate as well that we welcome your ideas on ways we can save money, create efficiencies, and generate revenue. Please share your ideas your supervisor or area director, or email them to me at chancellor@tricity.wsu.edu. |
