The presidents of Iowa’s three state-supported universities presented their budget plans to the State Board of Regents today for the new fiscal year that begins July first. All three says they expect to see record or near record enrollment, but will continue cutting expenses. University of Iowa president Sally Mason says increased enrollment will help their revenue.
Mason says, “We are looking forward to a very robust freshman class this fall, all of our admissions projections so far suggest that we could be on track for a record enrollment in the fall.” Mason says they will continue to budget conservatively despite the record enrollment projections. Mason says staff layoffs and furloughs aren’t in her plans for next year, and budget reallocations will give them money for raises.
Mason says,”One important result of these reallocations will be a salary increase expected to average approximately two-percent for faculty, and profession and scientific non-bargaining staff.” Mason says the salary increases will be given on a merit basis, so some faculty could receive a raise over two percent and some will receive less.
Iowa State University president Greg Geoffroy says academic departments are being assigned priorities, and those with declining enrollments absorbing the biggest cuts. He says for example, they are significantly downsizing and refocusing the Sociology Department. Geoffrey says that department has been given a 40% budget cut. Geoffroy says that significant cut will require some “bridge” funding as the department can’t make such a big cut in one year. He says an increase in enrollment will help provide some of the bridge funding.
Geoffrey says they are projecting a tuition revenue increase of about 21-million dollars as they will have a strong incoming class as recruitment has gone “very, very well.” He says they will also have an increase of 400-thousand dollars in indirect cost recovery. The
University of Northern Iowa is projecting a $4.4-million increase in tuition revenue for the upcoming school year. U.N.I. President Ben Allen says the school plans to resume its contribution to the employee retirement plan. “The faculty and staff have made tremendous sacrifices helping us work through this….morale is an issue, so one of the options I am proposing, is that for F-Y-11 we go back to a nine-percent employer contribution instead of a 10-percent,” Allen said.
The increase in enrollment is part of the reason for the increase in tuition revenue, the other factor is the six percent tuition increase approved for the next year. The Board of Regents will give final approval to the university budgets in June.