Provost Robert Shelton said specific department chairmen are drawing up budgets incorporating 5 percent and 10 percent reductions in anticipation of sweeping cuts to the University's appropriations by the state legislature.
Both Gov. Mike Easley and state legislators have begun work on the state budget for the 2002-03 fiscal year. Legislators have said about $1.2 billion might need to be cut from the state budget, including close to $700 million from education.
Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff said one of the main changes being made by department chairmen in their revised budgets is to put a hold on future hiring, although Shelton said this is not a required element of the rebudgeting procedure. "We have asked deans to look at budgets and tell us how to handle cuts, but we didn't say you have to impose a hiring freeze as part of that strategy," Shelton said.
But Estroff said although no official hiring freeze is in effect, the possibility of cuts has caused department heads to scrutinize outstanding searches and hiring decisions. Estroff said she does not think the administration will go as far as mandating a freeze. "The chancellor and provost have a lot of confidence in department (chairmen to make responsible hiring decisions)," she said.
But Shelton said the matter is up in the air until the final University budget is received from the state. "It is possible that we could get such a bad quantitative statement from the budget that we would have to impose (a freeze)," he said.
Peter Ornstein, chairman of the Department of Psychology, said administrators have suggested a proactive approach to dealing with possible future budget cuts. "We've been asked to look at the budget in terms of what kinds of things we would be able to give up."
Even in a well-staffed department, Ornstein said, a 5 percent or 10 percent reduction in the resources available for hiring would have severe consequences on instruction. "(Any cut) would certainly change the quality of education we can offer."
Estroff said even without an actual cut in appropriations, a reduction in the number of faculty members will mean fewer classes will be offered.
A planned enrollment increase also will compound the problems created by the slowdown in hiring, Estroff said.
