Budget
update
January
24, 2003
A
message from the President
As you’ve
likely heard through the media today, the
Texas leadership has directed state agencies to enact 7 percent reductions
to current fiscal year
budgets. The immediate cutbacks are ordered
to help combat a projected $1.8 billion deficit this year. The directive
addresses only the remaining
seven months of this fiscal year. It does
not address future projected state revenue shortfalls of $9.9 billion,
which will be addressed by
the legislature as it crafts the budget for
the next biennium.
To address
the current shortfall, agencies statewide are expected to study their
budgets to make the necessary reductions and reallocations.
Although
UNT has not yet received a written directive from the state, we believe
that the university may have to trim $8 million from its current budget,
however that number may change.
As we work
to pare down our budgets, I want you to know that I will, wherever possible,
minimize the impact on our current employees and the basic services
provided by our university. I am intent on providing our students a
quality education, while continuing to support important student services.
Equally important, I do not foresee in the immediate future a reduction
in currently employed staff and faculty, and I will work to avoid a
reduction in our current workforce.
Right now,
we will all have to do our part to help address
the state’s current
shortfall. There’s no doubt that we are going to have to do some belt
tightening. I will update you shortly about
how we will go about making the necessary budget adjustments.
These are
challenging times for our state financially,
and I anticipate that they will continue to be for sometime. Our legislators
will have to grapple
with this reality and its impact on higher
education. I can’t predict
the outcomes, but I can assure you that I
will continue to communicate with you as we gain an understanding of
how the decisions they make
will impact UNT.
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