Regents to consider 2004 budget

Even though the Legislature faced a $9.9 billion deficit, UNT is recommending a budget with a modest increase of 2 percent for its 2004 educational and general funds to the Board of Regents at its Aug. 21 quarterly meeting.

If approved, that increase would allow for a 2 percent average salary increase pool for faculty and staff that would become available Jan. 1, 2004. Whether those funds — $1.4 million — will be distributed across the board or based on merit, or using a combination of the two methods, has yet to be determined.

The budget increase — a 2004 fiscal year budget of $229,180,543 over the adjusted 2003 budget of $224,722,292 — comes largely from $4 million received due to enrollment growth. Even though the state cut formula funding, UNT's 10 percent enrollment growth allowed for a modest increase in state funds over last year, although it was far less than the $17 million it would have been before the state's economy declined. This year's budget was also built by incorporating reallocations of internal reductions.

"This has been a tough budgeting process, and few if any areas of the institution were left untouched by the fiscal restrictions or reductions," says Phil Diebel, vice president for finance and business affairs. "However, we're confident that with this budget we'll be able to continue to provide the necessary instructional and support services that acknowledge us as a top-notch university."

Every non-auxiliary area of campus will be required to make a permanent 1.43 percent reduction in its budget. In addition, available funds for staff reclassifications were cut by 50 percent, and further reductions were made in targeted areas, including Higher Education Assistance Fund (HEAF) replacement funds, publications, summer school expenditures and the modified service supplement.

However, how the 1.43 percent reduction is covered will be determined largely by the vice president for each area. The new budget effectively removes the hiring freeze on staff positions, but each manager must determine whether filling vacancies can be accomplished given the need to reduce overall budgets by 1.43 percent. Money from the cuts was transferred to cover the salary increase pool as well as $1.4 million in mandatory increases in staff benefits, utilities and computer hardware and software maintenance.

Additional increases will also be made for other key initiatives.

• $1.2 million to cover the cost of providing full insurance benefits to new faculty (covering their first 90 days of employment) and student faculty (teaching assistants and teaching fellows), who were reduced to only 50 percent coverage by the state
• $1.2 million in formula funding and board-designated tuition to the UNT Dallas Campus, which is generated by its students
• $700,000 in new initiatives requested by each division, including money for faculty salary adjustments, support for teaching across the colleges and schools, and support for staff and student services
• $400,000 to Texas Grant Matching — a statewide program requiring universities to match state grants with local funds
• Costs associated with operating a new College of Engineering and vice president for research and technology transfer office.

In addition, during the Board of Regents meeting, the Office for Finance and Business Affairs will recommend an increase in board-designated tuition of $7 per semester credit hour, increases in the library use fee and student records fee, and the addition of an international student fee for non-immigrant international students.

If approved, board designated tuition would increase to $53 per semester credit hour for the spring semester from $46 this fall; the library use fee would increase from $10 per semester credit hour this fall to $16.50 beginning in the spring; and the student records fee would go from a flat $5.50 per regular semester (pro-rated for summer and mini-mesters) with an additional $5 per online schedule change fee to a single flat rate of $20 per regular semester (pro-rated for summer and mini-mesters) and no additional online schedule change fees beginning in the spring. The new international student fee will charge international students a $65-per-semester fee (prorated for summer and mini-mesters).

BY KELLEY REESE kreese@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT names provost and vice president for academic affairs
• UNT names Davison interim vice president for development
• TAMS gets $87,000 grant from TI Foundation
• UNT's NAACP chapter earns national recognition
• UNT professor warns of potentially unhealthy eating environment in schools
• Professor talks about USA PATRIOT Act's effect on libraries
• Anti-smoking CD-ROM is cool to Texas middle schoolers
• More pharmacy benefit changes, some already effective

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