S. L. FULLER
News Editor
Dr. Virginia Horvath conveyed the state of the university budget to an attentive audience in Rosch Recital Hall during the President’s Budget Presentation last Monday. Using weather metaphors, in some scenarios, the forecast looked partly sunny, or partly cloudy, “depending on how you look at it,” she explained with a chuckle.
But the bottom line is that the university missed its goal for the 2014-2015 budget, only reducing the deficit by $1.18 million instead of the hoped-for $1.5 million. And in the 2015-2016 budget, the university is battling a projected $2 million deficit.
What does that mean for students?
According to the Fredonia website, the cost of tuition and fees alone for full-time, in-state undergraduate students during academic year 2014-2015 was $7,740.50. Next year, the projected cost is $8,077. That’s an increase of $336.50. While an increase of this amount is relatively consistent from year to year, it’s a safe assumption that students would prefer costs to go in the opposite direction.
Now what does that mean for the university as a whole?
According to Horvath’s presentation, some strategies for decreasing next year’s budget deficit are to “reallocate resources according to priorities and curricular transformation, including some permanent funding for sabbaticals,” and “continue rigorous review of operations and staffing in academic support areas to ensure administrative efficiency and effectiveness.”
As of right now, all numbers are projected and strategies are subject to change. But, The Leader will be following up next issue to report the budget forecast.