(St. Louis Public Radio) – The University of Missouri-St. Louis said Thursday it was going ahead with a budget plan that would eliminate up to 85 positions on campus but minimize the effect on students.
In a message to UMSL students, faculty and staff, Chancellor Tom George said the two-year plan is designed to close a $15.4 million budget gap through $12 million in cuts and and $3.4 million in new revenue.
“The initial reaction to these actions started today will create angst among students and employees,” George’s message read. “That is to be expected, and it is something we have struggled with for weeks.
“We have tremendous people and outstanding programs. Seeing positions eliminated and programs reduced is difficult. But the reality is these actions must be taken to create a budget that can be sustained year after year. And the proposal approved by our budget and planning committee gives us that road map.”
In discussions with the committee after the plan was unveiled earlier this month, George emphasized that that no degree programs would be eliminated under the proposal and no cuts would be made to the budget for undergraduate scholarships.
The announcement comes one day after Gov. Jay Nixon signed a higher education budget that includes more money for the University of Missouri System. But an anticipated decline in enrollment at UMSL will cut into revenue for the campus.
Republished with permission of St. Louis Public Radio: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/umsl-will-cut-85-positions-cost-cutting-move
