Budget Crunch

by Sarah Cooper on 23 Apr 2008

As money continues to be tight at the University of Nevada, Reno, administration is trimming the school's financial tree and students will see some changes this coming fall.

"It is my opinion that when we get through the period, and when the economy refreshes we will be a stronger university," University president Milton Glick said. "In the short run there is a lot of pain and some
damage. We tried to do it so that in the long term we are stronger."

The university began the year with a deficit of about $6 million,
according to the school's budget plan. Then in December, 2007 Gov. Jim Gibbons asked every school in Nevada to trim 4.5 percent from their
budgets. The university's $6 million problem then grew into a $24
million problem.

In the following months, university officials haggled and crunched numbers and looked high and low for ways to gather the funds.

The result was presented to the Nevada System of Higher Education's Board of Regents in January 2008.

"It has now been accepted as a plan by the regents with the understanding that as we go on we will investigate it more carefully," Glick said in January after the plan was adopted.

Since then, the university has investigated the situation further and released an addendum, shielding the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center's original opening date and educational equipment replacement from the financial chopping block.

The items were able to be put back on the budget because the Board decided to revert a $10 million general fund appropriation for the
iNtegrate project, providing more than $3 million in financial relief for UNR.

The found funding will also provide more than $229,000 in scholarships. According to the addendum, the scholarship funds are meant to mitigate the impact of a tuition surcharge for low-income students.

With the coming fall semester, students will notice a small addition to their university bills. A $5 per credit tuition surcharge will spring up and make a perennial appearance on the bill for the next three semesters.

With the exception of the University of Nevada Las Vegas and Nevada State College, all universities and colleges in the Nevada System of Higher Education are applying a tuition surcharge to raise funds. The University of Nevada, Reno's surcharge will contribute $1.5 million to the school before the charge sunsets in the fall of 2009.

"It is just to help us through the transition period," Glick said, looking forward to better days for university finances.

The university's approach to its financial rainy day also includes creating an umbrella program.

"This is the single largest and most visible impact on the university," Glick said.

The School of Medicine will join the Orvis School of Nursing and the College of Heath and Human Sciences under the umbrella of the University of Nevada, Reno Health and Sciences Division.

"Delivering quality health care will be affected by training medical professionals in a collective manner rather than in a silo," Glick said. "It will be educating where you feel more like a team. It will increase the quality of learning over time."

One of the first reorganizational shakeups came on a spring day, March 13, when Ole Thienhaus, M.D., MBA replaced John McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., as the dean of the medical school.

McDonald had bigger plans in store for him.

"This revised scope of duties will allow Dr. McDonald to devote the time and attention needed to foster the success of the expanded Health Sciences Division," Glick said in a press release.

Although educational organizations will have to integrate, Glick stands passionately behind his conviction that no classes will be cut because of the financial crunch.

"I am proud that we have carried out this very difficult exercise in a way that will actually increase the availability of courses," Glick said. "Our first priority is to protect student progress."

Some salaries will be shaved from the university's budget. However, the knife will not fall on many positions that are run by flesh and blood. According to the plan, the vice president's position in the university's communications division will be removed, as well as existing vacant positions in the division.

Also, the Excellence in Teaching Program, which was a source of support for graduate student teachers, will be absorbed by the deans of each individual school and the Information Technology department.

"Our goal is to maintain and enhance the quality and integrity of our academic and research programs and to provide students with access to the courses they need to make progress toward graduation," Glick said in his introduction to the budget plan. "Sheltering the academic and research functions necessarily means that reductions will be distributed disproportionately and that certain areas, and certain appropriations, will absorb a greater share of the overall reduction."

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