Post by Bornthrilla on Mar 19, 2009 15:40:32 GMT -5
Bowles: 'We're going to lose hundreds of people' across UNC system
Thursday, March 19
( updated 4:09 pm)
By Joe Killian
Staff Writer
UNC President Erskine Bowles
CHAPEL HILL — People need to understand the hard facts of coming budget cuts, UNC system President Erskine Bowles said Thursday at a Board of Governors meeting.
"We're going to lose hundreds of people and it's going to hurt this university," Bowles said. "It's going to hurt our academic core."
Bowles said Gov. Bev Perdue's proposed state budget will cut appropriations at the system's 16 campuses by $192 million, or about 6.4 percent at each campus. With 75 percent of the system's costs coming from its employees, Bowles said, there there would be no way around eliminating vacant positions and laying off staff and faculty members.
"We're going to lose 400 to 500 folks," Bowles said.
In December, each UNC campus was asked to prepare plans for budget cuts of up to 7 percent. Those plans, once considered worst-case scenarios, are now painfully close to reality for many of the schools. The Board of Governors heard a number of plans from chancellors Thursday, including UNC-Charlotte and East Carolina University.
In Greensboro, there could be as many as 109 layoffs at UNCG and 66 at N.C. A&T, university officials said this week. Some of the positions eliminated may be vacant, officials said, but some layoffs will be necessary, including some faculty.
"As hard as we try, there's no way around it," Bowles said. "We are going to have larger classes, less student advising and counseling, higher faculty-to-student ratio. All of this will lead to lower retention and graduation rates."
Bowles said he realizes the collapsing economy has put Perdue in a tough situation and he wants the university system to partner with her to balance the budget. He also agreed with UNC-Chapel Hill CFO Richard Mann, who predicted that Perdue's proposed cuts will be less painful than what is proposed by the legislature, which will take the next steps in the budget process.
"I've had to balance some budgets in my time," said Bowles, who served as chief of staff under President Bill Clinton. "There are always tough choices, and she's made some tough choices — some of which I don't like."
Read more:
www.news-record.com/content/2009/03/19/article/unc_president_erskine_bowles_were_going_to_lose_hundreds_of_people_across
Thursday, March 19
( updated 4:09 pm)
By Joe Killian
Staff Writer
UNC President Erskine Bowles
CHAPEL HILL — People need to understand the hard facts of coming budget cuts, UNC system President Erskine Bowles said Thursday at a Board of Governors meeting.
"We're going to lose hundreds of people and it's going to hurt this university," Bowles said. "It's going to hurt our academic core."
Bowles said Gov. Bev Perdue's proposed state budget will cut appropriations at the system's 16 campuses by $192 million, or about 6.4 percent at each campus. With 75 percent of the system's costs coming from its employees, Bowles said, there there would be no way around eliminating vacant positions and laying off staff and faculty members.
"We're going to lose 400 to 500 folks," Bowles said.
In December, each UNC campus was asked to prepare plans for budget cuts of up to 7 percent. Those plans, once considered worst-case scenarios, are now painfully close to reality for many of the schools. The Board of Governors heard a number of plans from chancellors Thursday, including UNC-Charlotte and East Carolina University.
In Greensboro, there could be as many as 109 layoffs at UNCG and 66 at N.C. A&T, university officials said this week. Some of the positions eliminated may be vacant, officials said, but some layoffs will be necessary, including some faculty.
"As hard as we try, there's no way around it," Bowles said. "We are going to have larger classes, less student advising and counseling, higher faculty-to-student ratio. All of this will lead to lower retention and graduation rates."
Bowles said he realizes the collapsing economy has put Perdue in a tough situation and he wants the university system to partner with her to balance the budget. He also agreed with UNC-Chapel Hill CFO Richard Mann, who predicted that Perdue's proposed cuts will be less painful than what is proposed by the legislature, which will take the next steps in the budget process.
"I've had to balance some budgets in my time," said Bowles, who served as chief of staff under President Bill Clinton. "There are always tough choices, and she's made some tough choices — some of which I don't like."
Read more:
www.news-record.com/content/2009/03/19/article/unc_president_erskine_bowles_were_going_to_lose_hundreds_of_people_across
