Gateway

Issue date: 12/1/09 Section: News

Chancellor Christensen, shown above at a previous event, discussed potential solutions to cover UNO's budget shortfall. (Joe Shearer/The Gateway) [Click to enlarge]

UNO Chancellor John Christensen provided little detail but said all options are being considered for the projected 2010-11 budget cuts at a forum on Nov. 19.

Christensen said he did not have any specifics from central administration or the Board of Regents and would not receive any "system-arching orders" until January, but he still wanted to hold the forum to keep the process as transparent as possible.

"The forum had been planned with the assumption the Legislature's special session would be over, but that is not the case," Christensen said. "But we will share the information as we promised all along, for you to know what we know."

Christensen, accompanied by Terry Hynes, senior vice chancellor of academic and student affairs and Bill Conley, vice chancellor for business and finance, presented the reasons behind the shortfall, as well as several options in dealing with the cuts.

In addition to the $2.2 million shortfall in the 2009-10 fiscal year and the $2.7 million anticipated shortfall in the 2010-11 fiscal year, UNO faces an additional $3.8 million in cuts over the two-year period. The Appropriations Committee recommended a cut of $1.4 million in 2010 and $2.4 million in 2011.

Governor Dave Heineman recommended a slightly higher cut of $1.4 million in 2010 and $2.7 million in 2011.

A significant portion of the shortfall comes from the pending increases in salaries. UNO is looking at a 1.5 percent pay raise for all faculty, with a 3.8 percent pay raise for all American Association of University Professors faculty.

"[The salary increase] could be maintained, reduced or all-together eliminated, and I don't know whether or not this will happen," Christensen said. "But that would have huge impact as we move forward."

Christensen said the recent 4 percent tuition hike was not enough. Though he cared about access and the financial load students carry, he said it was his "personal hope" that the Board of Regents consider another tuition increase.

Continued...

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