Office of the Chancellor
Status of the State Budget
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
Last week I attended the Board of Governors (BOG) meeting and heard a sobering status of the state budget. According to information from the Fiscal Research Division of the General Assembly, for the current fiscal year, the state's revenues are 15% ($3.2 billion) under original projections and April 15th tax collections were 40% less than the previous year. The BOG and Fiscal Research presentations are posted to the Budget Information website. The BOG presentation incorporates the approach we are to take as we plan for the 2009-10 year.
Given the status of the current year state budget, I have asked the Executive Staff to develop their plans for a 15% cut for the 2009-10 year. This is extremely difficult as we face record enrollments however I believe it is important that we have as much time as possible to prepare for such a scenario should it materialize.
I am optimistic that the budget cuts we will ultimately face will be less than 15% and President Bowles is well prepared to approach the General Assembly to articulate the devastating effects a cut of this magnitude would have on the University of North Carolina system. In fact, a 15% cut is greater than the combined budgets of the 8 smallest UNC campuses.
The Budget Sounding Board is scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon, May 14, 2009, to discuss the most recent update and to plan for communication and engagement for the summer.
My heartfelt thanks go to each of you who have dedicated yourselves to serving our students and citizens of North Carolina. As we face the challenges of the upcoming months, we will follow the guidelines as laid out in the UNCG Budget Principles, the first of which is to protect the academic core as much as possible.
Sincerely,
Linda P. Brady
Chancellor