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Colleges cutting budgets, staff in face of economic hardship

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By Dave Larsen, Staff Writer Updated 11:50 PM Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Many Ohio colleges and universities are cutting budgets, reducing staff and delaying construction projects amid the dreary economic climate. Public institutions, which depend on state funding for a large percentage of their operating budgets, are being especially hard hit.

Wright State University last week announced it will offer a voluntary separation program to more than 700 eligible faculty and staff members because of an anticipated reduction in state higher education spending.

Such measures “are designed to help us address our current budget situation without the number of layoffs that we have seen at many of our sister institutions,” said David R. Hopkins, Wright State president, in a message to employees.

Sinclair Community College on Friday announced that President Steven Lee Johnson and eight top administrators will forgo their pay raises for the new fiscal year starting July 1 to help balance the college’s operating budget.

In February, Miami University announced layoffs of 73 employees at its Oxford and Middletown campuses. The University of Toledo last month announced plans to lay off about 90 employees. Both are state-supported universities.

Edison Community College in March notified 67 administrative employees and 16 faculty members that their contracts won’t be renewed for the new fiscal year starting July 1 “because of contract policy and serious state funding issues,” said Jack Kramer, Edison spokesman.

Central State University is developing a plan to adjust to predicted funding cuts in the state’s higher education budget, said Fran Robinson, university spokeswoman. “This year the university has had a reduction in positions filled, and under consideration is an immediate hiring freeze,” Robinson said.

Tuition at Ohio’s public universities has been frozen for the past two years. The state is expected to continue the current community college tuition freeze for two more years.

Enrollment is surging at Ohio’s public institutions, but the state is forcing them to make adjustments because of the economy, said Sean Creighton, executive director of the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education. “I think what we see at the publics is they’re trying to be as smart as possible by making adjustments that do not impact the quality of programming,” Creighton said.

Private institutions depend on tuition and directly benefit from increased enrollment. Some also depend on their endowments, which are down as much as 30 percent because of the economy, Creighton said.

“Obviously, they’re not affected by state funding directly, but they have a different set of challenges in an economy like this,” Creighton said. “Whether people can afford to go there, and their dependence on endowment.”

Wilberforce University, a private, historically black institution in Greene County, last year reduced salaries and cut four staff positions in the face of a $2.8 million budget shortfall.

The University of Dayton appears to be an exception, Creighton said.

UD will meet its budgeted enrollment for fall 2009 with 1,754 first-year students, said Daniel J. Curran, university president. Student retention numbers also look strong, he said.

“At every operational level, we’re doing very well,” Curran said.

Sponsored research at the University of Dayton Research Institute is up from last year to $80 million, Curran said.

UD has started the $14 million, two-year renovation of Stuart Hall and the $2 million continued renovation of the Virginia W. Kettering Residence Hall.

The university also has hired 39 new faculty members, most to fill existing positions in key programs. UD plans for 3 percent salary increases this year, Curran said.

“This year was very challenging for higher education, both public and private,” Curran said. “We have to be really good stewards of our funds during this period in time.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@Dayton DailyNews.com.

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UD is awesome! I'm laughing all the way to the bank!

I love UD!
4:24 PM, 9/18/2009

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so what. there are too many kids wasting their time in college as it is. parents should cut the purse strings and tell their kids to find a job or join the military. bring back the draft!!

claude
11:16 PM, 5/27/2009

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More going on at Edison than evident from your story. Administration's choice to notify 83 employees of non-renewal -- which Edison's President Ken Yowell has denied is dismissal or firings -- is a HR disaster. Such contradictory statements have left these dedicated employees in limbo. Edison is losing good people steadily. Dave Larsen, do more than just accumulate drivel by PR guys like Kramer, some real investigation and reporting would be welcome in Piqua.
CTG

Chance
5:35 PM, 5/27/2009

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"UD for life" You sound very bitter. Do you know about the firings from personal experience??? Every "company" has their flaws. UD is thriving because while in a recession, students can not afford more pricier schools. Instead of the higher tuition of George Washington or Stanford, they are choosing UD. Sounds like money coming into Dayton to me?!?!? Are you UD for life or UD for the moment when the moment is good?
Go FLYERS!

Som
3:46 PM, 5/27/2009

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Dan Curran thinks UD stands for University of Dan! He keeps shipping work to his old "students" in Philadelphia, spending millions for work that UD staff have traditionally performed. How about keeping UD dollars in Dayton? And why have so many being fired without cause at UD? Isn't that just another form of cuts without having bad PR? Ask the UD staff about how well they feel operations are (dis)functioning.

UD for life
3:10 PM, 5/27/2009

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