After six months of discussion, the University Review and Improvement Committee, or URIC, put together a complete report of their findings, which they presented to President Pattenaude this past week. The report is part of a planning process to cut costs, develop long-term savings, increase revenues and enhance the USM educational and occupational environment. The report is a list of suggestions from committees and senates involved in covering this year’s $550,000 budget shortfall.
The report includes over 700 suggestions for reorganization and savings. They run the gamut from shutting down the Gorham Ice Arena for a longer off-season, to using recycled paper in mailings and switching to a campus wide cellular phone system. But the committee did find some underlying trends. For the short-term goal of cutting $550,000, suggestions centered on energy efficiency, moving paperwork online, rethinking work schedules and charging more cost appropriate student fees. Long-term trends included investing in cost-saving technologies, waste reduction, environmental sustainability and an overhaul of budget management.
Sam Andrews, USM’s Chief Financial Officer and URIC member said not all the suggestions are feasible. “The president’s staff is kind of wading through the pile,” he said. “We’ll see what kinds of ideas move to the top.” According to URIC Chair and Vice President for Advancement and Planning Beth Shorr that process could take a long time.
“You don’t transform an institution, especially one of higher education overnight,” said Shorr.
This past summer, USM was forced to cut $1.3 million from its budget before the beginning of the 2003 school year. After the initial $1.3 million cuts were made, Shorr was tapped to head URIC which was charged with not only saving $550,000 but also designing a plan for University restructuring so that further financial challenges would not result in more budget cuts to essential programs and services. “We want to get out of this rut of just nickel and diming the budget,” said Shorr.
“This is a little different process than what’s been done before,” Andrews said. “What this process is doing, is seeing where you cannot necessarily cut, but indeed save money, do things better and maybe generate new revenue.”
Andrews and the other URIC members sought feedback from all staff, faculty and student senates, as well as seven standing committees on what could be done. USM Student Senate’s Vice Chair Ezekiel Kimball sat on the committee and said he felt it was very productive. “It was an academic perspective. It was different than if you’d had the financial controllers of the University telling you what to do.”
Across the United States universities and other institutions of higher education have seen their funding decline by millions of dollars in recent years. Poor national economic conditions have continued to deplete state budgets, prompting widespread cuts in essential areas such as education. According to Pattenaude, “State support for the University — in fact, state support across the country for higher education — is not going to be as robust as it has in the past.”
Governor Baldacci has just proposed another $13 million budget cut for the University of Maine System this year, some of which President Pattenaude said will be shouldered by USM. “The state of Maine like most states across the country, is wrestling with a revenue shortfall. It’s a result of the economy, and the Governor and the legislature have a funding gap to close. Given the size of the University, it’s inevitable that part of that will fall to us.”
But Andrews, said that it is too soon to tell if that dollar figure is accurate.
“It’s a proposal. So it’s difficult to see what that really means,” Andrews said
Pattenaude and his staff will meet Dec. 11 to go over the URIC report in detail. He said he intends to have a preliminary plan formulated by the beginning of spring semester to present to the campus.
Amy Bickford can be contacted at [email protected]