Pittsburg State faces possible budget cuts

Thursday, January 22, 2009

In a memo to all faculty and staff Wednesday, Pittsburg State University President Tom Bryant outlined the difficult budgetary road ahead for the university as the state of Kansas wrestles with major budget shortfalls.

"The University will look different if significant reductions in the (State General Fund) become reality," Bryant wrote.

According to the memo, the university expects to make approximately $1.2 million in cuts over the next five months and even bigger cuts could be on the horizon for the next fiscal year, which begins in July.

The budget recommended by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for 2010, which begins July 1, would require PSU to cut an additional $1.5 million, Bryant wrote. The $1.2 million from 2009 and the $2.7 million from 2010 together nudge the total cuts to nearly $4 million over two fiscal years.

The actual impact on the university can't be known until the Legislature finishes its work this spring.

Bryant outlined several actions the university is taking in anticipation of the budget reduction.

Travel will be limited and approved on the "merits of the activity and its relevance to current operations."

The university will delay the purchase of equipment and furnishings, "except for situations where the purchase is absolutely necessary to the operation of the institution."

Pittsburg State is also redoubling its efforts at utility savings by lowering thermostats, cutting back on watering the grounds and ensuring that lights are turned off when not in use.

Although a hiring freeze is not in effect, the university is slowing down the hiring process and is authorizing "a limited number of searches related to critical positions." Bryant wrote that decisions about staff reductions "will not be made lightly and are always a last resort." All other options, he wrote, will be considered first, but "the possibility that such cuts will be required cannot be dismissed."

The president asked faculty and staff for their "cooperation and input" as decisions are made and concluded the memo on an optimistic note.

"Together we will find ways to deal with our economic problems and Pittsburg State University will continue to be the same caring, high-quality institution of higher learning that it has been for more than a century," Bryant wrote.