Cuts lead to 'action decisions'
By GAYLE WEBER
Fort Hays State University is at a tipping point.
Facing budget cuts of close to 15 percent in the last 11 months, FHSU President Edward H. Hammond said while the latest round of state budget cuts can be absorbed by the university, any further cuts could start to change FHSU's ability to meet Kansans' educational needs.
"The good news is the governor, I think, understands that and that's the reason why he didn't take us below 2006 levels," Hammond said during a university forum Tuesday.
Gov. Mark Parkinson announced proposed cuts again last week, which would reduce FHSU's budget by an additional $100,000.
To cope with the cuts, Hammond said university officials have made "action decisions" including using one-time strategic planning money to absorb the latest reduction, which brings FHSU's budget down by about $784,000 since the start of the fiscal year July 1.
"That means that we have very limited strategic planning funds to allocate," Hammond said.
Those funds traditionally would be used to further the long-range goals of the university.
In addition, the university will delay the release of other operating expenses money until Feb. 1, but Hammond said those funds should be safe from further cuts based on projected state revenues. Hammond also said he would authorize departments to carry forward money to the 2011 budget to alleviate the budget burden next year.
Hammond said he is prepared to build the fiscal year 2011 budget on the same principles that have allowed FHSU to reduce the effect of the state budget cuts to faculty, staff and students this year.
"We're going to be making more efficiencies," Hammond said. "We're going to be trying to find ways in which we can grow because those two things reduce how much we have to cut."
FHSU also is planning for a 2-percent reduction in its operating budget next year, and officials once again will look at tuition increases to cover the anticipated funding gap.
Hammond still anticipates the state to have funding problems through the 2012 budget, but hopes the state can make a reinvestment in higher education by 2015.