State request for budget cut scenarios

[more ...]

To: Members of the University Community

We all are reminded daily of the seriousness of the country's financial situation in all that we read, see and hear-and these same fiscal challenges are confronting our university.
Last week we learned that our state is facing an estimated $340 million shortfall in its budget through June 2009. We have been asked to prepare scenarios describing how we might operate with drastically reduced state appropriations that could range between 15 and 25 percent for FY2010. We typically receive more than $400 million in state funding, so these scenarios will reflect between $60 million and $100 million in potential budget cuts across our campuses.
The magnitude of this potential reduction is unprecedented and will require an extraordinary response on our part. The deadline for this response to the Missouri Department of Higher Education is Dec. 18. In addition, we will need to anticipate a "withhold" from our current 2009 operating plan.
As other states grapple with similar shortfalls, and our nation struggles with the larger global financial crisis, traditional cost-cutting responses-such as across-the-board reductions, trimming travel and training costs, or freezing open positions as we have done-will not adequately address this challenge.
The way forward requires us to take a hard look at how we pursue our mission of teaching, research, service and economic development. Our response must be one that reinforces the quality of our approach to meeting the expectations and needs of students and citizens by incorporating significant changes in how we operate, given the economic realities we are facing.
The chancellors and system staff are working with me on our plan to respond. Several special teams have been established to address a wide variety of issues. When you see our response late next week, it will be at a high level but will describe the scope and scale of areas that will be affected. No decisions will have been reached, but you will likely see general references to programs and departments; overall work force of faculty, staff and administration; tuition and fees; enrollment; benefits; etc.
During the next several weeks and few months, we will work with all constituents and existing campus processes to ensure involvement and transparency. At the end of the day, there will be hard decisions facing us, and I ask that you support the chancellors, our academic leaders and staff as we take on this challenge.
What can you do? A number of things. For instance:

Your ideas are important. I am asking each campus to establish an electronic "suggestion box" for your constructive ideas as we look to reshape and reinvent our approaches to higher education. Every dollar and resource counts. Help us save and be even more efficient in what we do.

We need to do our part to help the state; however, our elected officials need to be aware of what our university means to the future success and well-being of Missourians. Please go to: www.umsystem.edu/ums/departments/ur/documents/Strategic_Direction.pdf to read our Strategic Direction document and then reach out to our state leaders in your own words about what the University means to the future of Missouri. You can also look up the addresses of your state legislators (by ZIP codes) by clicking on: http://www.senate.mo.gov/llookup/leg_lookup.aspx.

The chancellors and their staff will communicate with you as action plans become clearer. My thanks to all of you for what you do, and for all that you mean to our university.

[close]

The budget challenge

[more ...]

To the MU Community:

This is the time of year when I look back on the past 12 months and am in awe of the many accomplishments of our students, staff and faculty. Certainly 2008 is no exception. Consider the record number of students who chose this great university, the incredible effort of the faculty who taught them, and the monumental work of the staff who served them. MU is one of only 20 public universities in the country considered worthy of investment at the level of $1 billion by its alumni, foundations and corporations. Our research changes the lives of people throughout the world thanks to the 24/7 commitment of faculty and students in our laboratories, studios and other creative settings. A superb landscape services team makes this campus one of the most beautiful on earth whether it's May or December. Our Staff for Life helicopter crew saves lives as part of their normal work day. And there is so much more.

So we face the coming months of economic uncertainty in a strong position. President Gary Forsee wrote to all of you today about the efforts taking place across the UM System to respond to a projected shortfall in the state's budget for the current fiscal year 2009 and to significantly reduced state appropriations ranging between 15 percent and 25 percent in FY 2010. We have faced similar budget situations in the past but not of this potential magnitude. My staff and I are working closely with the President and the other General Officers of the UM System to provide the planning necessary to respond to the state's financial crisis. On the campus, we continue to work -- as we always do in our planning efforts -- with the Deans and Department Chairs, Faculty Council, Staff Advisory Council, the Missouri Students Association, the Graduate Professional Council, and the Strategic Planning and Resource Advisory Council to prepare for these budget reductions. Our most recent planning effort in this regard was the need to generate resources for our priorities and resulted in Compete Missouri to achieve more competitive salaries.

I ask each of you to think in transformational ways about how we can stay true to our core mission and AAU quality, but still work more efficiently and better use our resources to meet our needs, support our goals, and fulfill our obligations as a state flagship and global university. Please send your ideas to me at the Chancellor's Office, 105 Jesse Hall, or to me at http://chancellor.missouri.edu/suggestions/. MU is known nationally for its culture of collaboration. It will be our greatest asset as we work together to maintain our commitment to quality and integrity as a vibrant land-grant university for all we serve.

The coming months offer us great challenges and opportunities to think about our work and our world in entirely new ways. Please take some time during these holidays to reflect on the tremendous contributions you have made to the University of Missouri and to know how grateful I am to each and every one of you.

[close]