UNC Funds May Be Cut By $25M

Legislature's Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education formally requested earlier this week that UNC-system officials present a plan to the committee to cut 7 percent from its recurring budget -- a total of about $125 million.

UNC's share of the cuts would total close to $25 million.

In a Board of Governors meeting last week, UNC-system President Molly Broad hinted the University might have to contend with serious budget reductions, but Broad said Thursday she was surprised by the extent of the cuts proposed by the committee. "This is a major difference that seems disproportionate to the state's fiscal circumstance," Broad said. "It's completely inconsistent with the social contract the university has with the people of the state, who overwhelmingly made a commitment to improving higher education last November."

And UNC officials have expressed concern that students could increasingly be asked to shoulder the burden in the form of increased tuition.

Broad said her office has charged the chancellors of all 16 UNC-system campuses with identifying ways by Monday in which each campus could handle their share of the budget cuts. "I have asked the chancellors to protect instruction, especially undergraduate instruction," Broad said. "The message I have gotten back is that with cuts of this magnitude, it may be difficult to do that."

UNC Chancellor James Moeser said he understands that all state agencies must tighten their belts in the face of the budget difficulties but that he sees these recommendations as going too far. "This is clearly, in my view, more than our share."

Moeser sent an e-mail to the UNC community Thursday informing them that these cuts, if implemented, could result in layoffs of faculty and staff, elimination of courses and reduction of public services.

Moeser said the campuswide e-mail and upcoming meetings with the UNC Board of Visitors and the Parents Council are efforts to spark a grassroots movement to put pressure on state lawmakers.

UNC Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff said she fears that the threats of faculty layoffs or salary cuts could send some faculty members packing.

"We have a lot of faculty that look good to other universities -- this kind of thing just opens the door," she said. "(Faculty) care about more than salaries. At the same time, everyone has family and life responsibilities, so I would expect there to be a thoughtful process to find out the least damaging way (to cut funding)."

Estroff said faculty share the same concerns that students and the state should have. "We care about this institution," she said. "We don't want to see it undermined."

Estroff said these budget cuts would make it difficult for UNC to handle enrollment growth. "We are building to welcome and educate a greater number of North Carolinians, and it's difficult to see how we're going to accommodate them ... when we're going to have to absorb these kinds of cuts," she said. "It's time for people who care about the University to mobilize and take a hard look at the efficiency and priorities of this state."

UNC Association of Student Governments President Andrew Payne said he is concerned lawmakers might increase tuition to compensate.

Broad said she would oppose tuition increases. "The worst thing we could do is when unemployment is high, when the economy is soft, when families can least afford it is to make an increase in tuition."

UNC Student Body President Justin Young said he is committed to defending the interests of students. "It's ridiculous to expect students to take the brunt or to dig into students' pockets to solve all budgetary problems," he said. "We will make sure students are made very aware of what's going on and are included in this process."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.