Chancellor calls cuts to budget ‘painful’

By Wade Allen
Editor

The need for a University budget reduction plan of 5 percent was the focus of a public forum Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. in GPAC. More than 200 people attended the event, mostly faculty and staff.

“Our current challenge is that we’re required to develop a 5 percent reduction plan by Feb. 22,” Chancellor Charles R. Jenkins said. “We’re operating this year with $5 million less than what we have been.”

Hard times
Chancellor Jenkins appeared concerned and confident as he explained to those present that the University is in the middle of unprecedented hard times.

“This is an extraordinary time and we have to do extraordinary things,” Chancellor Jenkins said. “It’s nothing novel, nothing new.”

Chancellor Jenkins remained optimistic throughout the forum and said that he was confident that the University was doing the best in the given situation.

Pep talk
As the forum progressed, Chancellor Jenkins’ remarks became more and more encouraging.

“We need to look at it not with the gloom and doom,” Chancellor Jenkins said, referring to the proposed budget reduction plan. “Our goal is to make the best decisions for the University.”

The Chancellor declared, “We have a firstrate University. We still have the funds to be a first-rate University.”

The forum lasted an hour and Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs R. Neil Hawk presented a PowerPoint on the current 2009-10 plan.

Slide show
“There are no filled positions currently in this plan – instruction or otherwise,” Hawk said. “Contained in this plan are 14 [vacant] positions.”

Hawk said that the University has to submit the budget reduction plan by Feb. 22 to the General Administration.

Hawk also said that University administration was looking for suggestions for the proposed budget cuts and that a form was located online for members of the public to express suggestions anonymously.

Chancellor Jenkins offered suggestions but said some decisions are made best at the department level.

Top administrators present budget forum
“We’re real good at adding things; we’re not good at taking things away,” Chancellor Jenkins said. “It’s painful.”

Chancellor Jenkins stressed that his goal was to not have the budget reductions directly impact the instruction at UNCP.

“Teaching must come first,” he said.

“President [Erskine] Bowles is even now saying if we get beyond 2 percent, it will have some impact on direct instruction,” Chancellor Jenkins said. “We must continue to find non-state dollars.”

He said they wanted to protect currently filled positions if at all possible.

Chancellor Jenkins addressed the subject of graduation and retention rates, areas the University has been trying to improve.

“We cannot lose focus of trying to improve our graduation and retention rates,” Chancellor Jenkins said. “We’ve got to get more faculty in advisement and teaching in freshman seminar.”

Attending
According to Chancellor Jenkins, the forum was held in GPAC because he didn’t know how many people would attend the event.

Among those attending were Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Diane O. Jones, vice Chancellor for University and Community Relations Dr. Glen Burnette, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Jackie Clark, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Charles Harrington, Director of Athletics Dan Kenney, Dean of Library Services Dr. Elinor F. Foster, University Counsel and Chief of Staff Joshua Malcolm and Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Anthony R. Curtis.

Following Hawk’s remarks, Chancellor Jenkins offered to entertain questions but there were none.

“A lot of blood, sweat and tears were spent on the reduction plan last year,” Hawk said. “Unfortunately, this whole process must be concise.”