Budget could cut faculty posts

State lawmakers have warned for months that this year’s budget situation will demand painful cutbacks in spending, even for priorities such as education.

But UNC-system officials were surprised Monday to learn just how deep those cuts might be.

A draft proposal from the legislature’s joint appropriations subcommittee on education would slash almost $45 million in funding for faculty, forcing a systemwide elimination of 348 filled and 407 unfilled positions.

University officials had been told that cuts of that magnitude were possible, but most said they expected the committee to suggest a more modest reduction.

“I think everybody is stunned that this has hit the campuses so hard,” said Kevin FitzGerald, legislative liaison for UNC-Chapel Hill.

The draft also calls for reducing or eliminating funding to a host of other university programs, from the distinguished professors endowment fund to wages for private contractors.

Jeff Davies, UNC-system vice president for finance, said the proposal essentially would force the university to pay for its own enrollment growth. The draft sets aside $72.8 million to fund enrollment increases for the 2005-06 academic year but pays for it by cutting other university spending.

Overall, even after it diverts money to enrollment funding, the UNC system would see about $29.4 million less than it requested.

“In essence, the university’s budget goes down $29 million and we get 7,000 new students,” Davies said. “Reductions of this magnitude would be devastating to the university.”

It is the cuts to faculty that pose the gravest concern, officials said.

“I’m disappointed and discouraged,” said UNC-CH Provost Robert Shelton. Under the terms of the subcommittee’s proposal, UNC-CH would lose 90 filled and about 80 vacant positions, he said.

“What this will mean is reduction in sections, reduction in course availability, longer time to degrees and a whole lot of frustration.”

Shelton also cited the potential loss of millions in research dollars, because each faculty member brings in an average of about $190,000 per year in grants and other outside funding.

“That will have a huge impact on our research money,” he said.

Other system schools are bracing for similar consequences. Andy Willis, assistant to the chancellor for external affairs at N.C. State University, said the campus could lose more than 130 filled positions.

“There’s no way that you can’t affect the classroom with these reductions,” he said. “In past years, we’ve been able to protect the classroom, and we’ve not hindered access to the university system. But these reductions would hinder access, and we would see fewer classes offered.”

Monday’s approval of the draft proposal marked the last time that the House and Senate education appropriations committees will meet jointly. The Senate is taking the lead in drafting this session’s budget, and UNC-system lobbyist Mark Fleming said it will be critical to soften the education proposal before it clears the chamber’s appropriations committee.

“Historically, when it comes out of the full appropriations committee, there are very few changes,” he said. “From now on, all focus will be on the Senate.”

Fleming said the next two to three weeks will present the best opportunity to lobby against the proposed cuts.

“We’re going to try to talk to every supporter we’ve got to let them know how devastating this would be,” he said. “These legislators need to hear from our supporters or these cuts will go through.”

While system leaders remain hopeful that the worst reductions can be mitigated, many suggested something more ominous in this year’s budget process than in years past.

“What you’ve got to look at is the cumulative effect,” Fleming said, referring to a pattern of cuts in state funding since 2001. “The cumulative effect is we’ve got some serious underlying budget problems.

“This is really going to have drastic effects to our campuses.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.