Delta universities cutting cost 11-09-2009

DELTA UNIVERSITIES JOINS IN COST CUTTING MEASURES TO ADDRESS THE STATE'S REVENUE SHORTFALL. AND THOSE MEASURES WILL MEAN a $1 MILLION TRIM FROM THE UNIVERSITY'S BUDGET. SIX MONTHS INTO THE STATE'S FISCAL YEAR, DSU STARTS TRIMMING FIVE PERCENT OF ITS BUDGET TO ADDRESS THE STATE'S BUDGET REVENUE SHORTFALL. "POSITIONS ON CAMPUS WERE EFFECTED. OF THOSE 17 A FEW WILL LOSE THEIR POSITIONS AS OF DECEMBER 31ST," SAID DSU PRESIDENT DR. JOHN HILPERT. BESIDES ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS HAVE NOTIFIED ACADEMIC CENTERS THAT ARE HOUSED ON CAMPUS TO BEGIN LOOKING FOR EXTERNAL FUNDING SOURCES TO REPLACE REVENUE THE UNIVERSITY IS NO LONGER ABLE TO PROVIDE. "IT'S OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD SO THIS YEAR WE WILL REDUCE FUNDING FOR THOSE PROGRAMS. NEXT YEAR 50 PERCENT, 75 PERCENT AND THEN 100 PERCENT FOUR YEARS FROM NOW," HILPERT SAID. WITH MORE THAN 4,000 STUDENTS ENROLLED AT DELTA STATE FOR THE 2009-2010 ACADEMIC YEAR, THE UNIVERSITY'S COST-CUTTING MEASURES HASN'T AFFECTED ANY ACADEMIC PROGRAMS. "NO FACULTY HAVE BEEN CUT, NO ACADEMIC PROGRAMS BEEN REDUCED OR CHANGED.

THE ONLY CUTS REALLY THAT HAVE EFFECTED THE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND ALL THE OTHER OFFICES HAVE TO DO WITH TRAVEL.  AND WE HAVE REDUCED TRAVEL BUDGETS ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY BY 25 PERCENT," SAID HILPERT. WITH ANOTHER HIGHER EDUCATION CUT LIKELY BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, HILPERT REMAINS OPTIMISTIC DELTA STATE WILL MEET THE STATE'S EXPECTATIONS. OFFICIALS HOPE THIS IS A WINNING STRATEGY TO HELP WEATHER TOUGH ECONOMIC TIME.