College presidents discuss budgets | ajc.com

AJC:

Students attending Georgia's public colleges next fall should expect large classes but might see more faculty members on some campuses, college presidents said this week during budget briefings around the state.

College leaders are holding meetings, sending e-mails and posting updates on Web sites to discuss the budget outlook for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

On Wednesday, University of Georgia President Michael Adams said the newly approved tuition increase will provide the college with about $17.5 million, and some of it will be used to hire 25 additional full-time faculty members.

At the same time, Adams cautioned that the stress on the UGA financial situation has not been resolved  and warned there likely would be limited layoffs and program reductions.

The State Board of Regents provided colleges with their allocations last week, giving presidents just a few weeks to calculate budgets before the board approves them next month. The delay was caused by this year's Legislative session running longer than usual.

Among the budget details released by the presidents:

• Georgia Perimeter will increase average class sizes and reduce part-time, overtime and student assistant compensation, President Anthony Tricoli told employees in an e-mail.
• Georgia State will make this year's two-week closure at winter break a standard practice, President Mark Becker said this week. Employees will use paid vacation to cover one of the two weeks and anyone without enough vacation days must take unpaid leave.
• Georgia Tech will increase the parking permit rate but it will be 2 percent instead of 5, President G.P. "Bud" Peterson said in a campus e-mail. He also said some of tuition money will be spent to improve the faculty-student ratio and course availability for undergraduates.

Students and staff have expected cuts because of declines in state funding. The University System of Georgia received $8,191 per student from the state during the 2009 fiscal year, but will receive $6,242 per student for the upcoming fiscal year. The last time the amount was that low was 1996.

The regents approved a tuition increase for this fall, but that covers only about 35 percent of the $227 million state lawmakers cut from the higher education budget. The remainder must be absorbed by the campuses.

There is uncertainty concerning the continuation of furlough days at the system or individual campus level. Last August, the regents approved a mandatory six-day furlough for all employees during the 2010 fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The current budget doesn't call for any system-wide furloughs, but Chancellor Erroll Davis wouldn't rule out the possibility should the financial situation change.

"If the state is having furloughs it is difficult for us not to have furloughs," Davis said last week. "That is a political reality."

Posted via email from Jim Nichols