TERRE HAUTE —
Indiana State University’s administration is recommending the elimination of 16 mostly vacant positions to help balance the budget for 2011-12.
In response to anticipated further cuts in state funding, ISU must cut its own budget by $1.3 million for the next fiscal year.
On Wednesday, university officials conducted a budget forum and outlined areas recommended for cuts. ISU employees and students had an opportunity to comment and ask questions. The recommendations will be part of the 2011-12 budget considered by the board of trustees later this year.
While nothing is final until the legislature approves a state budget, “We have to start preparing,” said ISU President Dan Bradley. “It does appear there will be reduction from the state, it will be sizable and we have a need to get our budget balanced.”
Cuts will come from non-instructional areas, said Diann McKee, vice president for business and finance. Proposed cuts won’t reduce the number of tenure and tenure-track faculty lines or impact a student’s ability to enroll in courses needed for on-time graduation.
About half of the positions eliminated would be support staff and half professional positions, she said. None of the positions is part-time. The positions are either currently vacant or will be vacant due to retirements on or before June 30, with the exception of three positions in which individuals will be affected.
McKee said she could not discuss specific positions because those affected are still being notified. Individuals who lose their jobs will be entitled to the same severance packages offered last year when a much higher number of people lost jobs, Bradley said.
The $1.3 million represents a 2 percent budget reduction in all non-instructional budgets with the exception of utilities, benefits and student financial assistance.
The majority of the reductions include elimination of primarily vacant positions; elimination of support for software and specialized hardware in colleges; elimination of stipends for faculty training; elimination of book binding services in the library; and reduced painting services on campus through Facilities Management.
ISU has five painting positions, and by June 30, all but one of those positions will be vacant.
McKee said that under the governor’s proposed biennial budget, ISU would lose $4 million in permanent funding to its operating budget.
If the governor’s recommendation is approved, ISU’s state appropriation will be reduced to what it was in 1996, Bradley said.
He predicts that budget-cutting and budget reallocations will become something ISU must do annually “simply because the state’s share of our budget is not going to grow.” Even in good years, growth would probably be limited to the rate of inflation, he said.
Increasingly, ISU must look for other ways to increase revenue through grants, contracts and private giving, he said.
Although the governor’s budget calls for a $4 million cut, ISU believes that $1.3 million in cuts will be sufficient to balance the budget, McKee said.
The extensive cuts last year “gave us some flexibility so we didn’t have to resort to that type of thing again this year,” she said.
Also working in ISU’s favor is a 10 percent increase in enrollment this past year, and officials are planning for another increase this fall. That, coupled with tuition increases, have provided additional revenue. ISU trustees want to limit tuition increases to about 3 to 3.5 percent, Bradley said.
While this year’s cuts are not as dramatic as last year’s, they are still substantial, the president said. Last year about 108 positions were eliminated, also because of state budget cuts.
“It’s a dramatically different situation than we were in last year, but that doesn’t make it any less pleasant if your area of the budget has been negatively impacted,” Bradley said.
The administration has met with campus employee and student governance groups in planning the proposed cuts.
Two areas that will have a major impact on the new state biennial budget are health care, Medicaid in particular, as well as corrections, Bradley said. Those two areas “are driving the state budget now,” he said.
ISU’s health care costs are going up 8 percent this year, a rate that cannot be sustained long-term, he said. ISU must reduce health care costs; health insurance currently makes up 10 percent of the operating budget.
Bradley and McKee fielded several questions that related to such issues as layoffs, severance packages, new sources of university revenue and land acquisition.
One person asked whether it was a good idea to be making land purchases during difficult budget times.
Land purchases do not involve general fund money, Bradley said. Also, just as ISU must continue to repair and maintain facilities, “We have to continue to plan going forward for other kinds of development.”
Debra Robinson, who works in the library and plans to retire later this year, said she remains interested in ISU’s future.
“We can ask all the questions we want, but things are going to go the way they’re going to go. You’re just going to have to adjust to it,” she said. After the forum, she asked Bradley what individuals on campus can do to help, and he suggested that if people see waste on campus, they should cut it out.
She believes each department has areas where it can conserve. “Everybody needs to look at that and how they can hone what they do and make it better,” she said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@
tribstar.com.
News
Indiana State to cut 16 more positions
Reduction of the mostly vacant positions will help balance budget
- News
-
-
Rockville correctional facility program teaches life skills
It’s hard to know who benefits the most: the inmates or the dogs.
-
AAA mag recognizes city for arts works
The nonprofit organization that uses outdoor sculpture to draw attention to Terre Haute is getting some notice of its own.
-
State pushing for convenience stores to make safety a higher priority
In 2002, after New Mexico forced convenience store owners to put sweeping security measures into place for clerks working late-night hours, the number of robberies dropped by 92 percent. Assaults, murders and other crimes at convenience stores also dropped dramatically.
Now Indiana officials are hoping voluntary compliance with similar safety standards will bring about similar results.
-
Patriotism & Honor
From his vantage point, Sonner Faught could see almost every volunteer in the cemetery.
-
Graduation turns to mourning in Clinton
Jeana Lunsford’s graduation from South Vermillion High School Saturday should have been a time of celebration.
-
School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
-
Tales of obstruction meet first takeover attempts
A decade after Indiana legislators gave the state the power to take over chronically failing schools, the first implementation of the law is meeting with resistance, skepticism and questions about its costs.
-
MIKE LUNSFORD: Raising a flag for my father, veteran or not
My daughter, Ellen, and I stood at my parents’ graves on Mother’s Day a few weeks back and talked about how it couldn’t possibly have been so long since we lost them. My dad, for instance, has been gone for 16 years, and that is nearly unimaginable
-
3 rescued from burning residence
Quick action on the part of some first-responders is credited with saving the lives of three people in a Vermillion County fire early Saturday morning, according to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department.
-
He never forgot a name: Friends remember victim of fire at Garfield Towers
When Freddie Poore met you, he never forgot you.
-
Hometown boy embraces ‘Promise I Made’: Clinton native Ken Kercheval takes role in Dreams Come True production
Thanks to some help from a hometown boy in Hollywood, “This Promise I Made” is still on track to be kept in Clinton.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Many say they don’t vote in primary because of tag that comes with it
A couple of columns ago, I posed a question about why most Indiana polling places on primary election day had so few customers.
-
Police looking for convenience store robber
Police are seeking a robbery suspect following a Saturday morning armed robbery at the Jiffy MiniMart at 25th Street and Eighth Avenue.
-
Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises
Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.
-
THE OFF SEASON: To the seniors, one last lecture before you go …
It dawned on me one day last week, as I sat at my desk in my teacher clothes and shoes, a stack of ungraded essays calling to me from a rather tall and depressing pile, that I hadn’t missed a high school graduation in 33 years.
-
HOT MEMORIAL DAY weekend ahead for workers, campers, garage salers
The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff of summer, and this weekend is expected to be a scorcher with consecutive days of temperatures in the low to mid-90s.
-
Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
-
For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
-
Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
-
Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
Quiz King
Matt Aselage doesn’t usually watch TV game shows, but he is certainly up-to-date on current events.
-
A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
-
Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
-
Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
-
Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
-
Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
-
High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
-
Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
- More News Headlines
-
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Hamster Plays Dead
Beyonce Shows Off 60 Pound Weight Loss at Concert
Drunk Women Breaking Into Houses: A New Trend?
LeAnn Rimes Rocks Short Shorts
Gordon Ramsay Carried Off Field
Man Dies Getting Lap Dance
Kim Kardashian Claims Items Stolen from Her Luggage
Bear cools off in Calif. family's pool
Ep. 3: Chopped Desserts
Air Force dad surprises family at baseball game
Justin Bieber Wanted for Questioning for L.A. Scuffle
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Jet makes emergency landing after debris falls off
Cynthia Nixon Ties the Knot
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
