By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5619
Posted: 10-22-08
The new School of Education Building will be located on Spring Garden Street adjacent to the Bryan School.
GREENSBORO, NC – The state’s revenue shortfall is hitting The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Construction funding for UNCG’s newest building – planned to house the School of Education – has been placed on hold due to the state’s economic downturn. Chancellor Linda P. Brady has alerted the university community that planning is under way for budget cuts of 3 percent that have been ordered by Gov. Mike Easley.
Planning and design will continue for the education building, which would provide UNCG with an additional 110,000 square feet of badly needed instructional space. Construction of the $47 million facility was to start next spring with an opening for fall semester 2011.
Brady noted that three-quarters of the states are anticipating economic hardships for 2009 or 2010 and at least 20 states have already made cuts to public university budgets.
“We have been treated very well by the General Assembly over the past several years, but North Carolina unfortunately is not immune to the financial challenges facing our country,” Brady said in an email to UNCG’s 2,500 faculty and staff.
Along with other UNC campuses, UNCG has been directed to cut its budget by 3 percent, which is in addition to a cut of almost 1 percent that was imposed at the beginning of the fiscal year as a result of North Carolina’s revenue shortfall.
Chancellor Linda Brady
“I hope this will be the extent of the cuts, but it is very possible that we will be asked to absorb further cuts this year or next,” Brady said. “I have asked the provost and vice chancellors to work with their respective divisions on the best way to absorb these cuts. They will also be in touch with strategies for better resource management and cost containment.”
Brady is in her first year as UNCG’s Chancellor. The campus is mobilized to write a new five-year strategic plan, and Brady said that UNCG will forge ahead – despite the economic situation.
She cited a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, which noted that a tight economy forces an institution to focus on what is most important.
“I appreciate your understanding, support, and cooperation as we work through these challenging economic times,” she concluded. “We remain committed to our core missions of teaching, research and service."
