Posted 4-14-11
Tuesday the NC House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Education released its proposed 2011-13 state budget. Below are responses from President Ross and Chancellor Brady to this proposed budget.
UNC President Tom Ross issued the following statement on the draft 2011-13 state budget proposals released by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education:
“The deep cuts proposed today by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education present an enormous challenge for the University, and more importantly, for our students. Permanent net cuts totaling nearly $483 million (17.4%) could not be absorbed without inflicting irreparable damage to our academic quality and reputation. To put this in context, a cut of this magnitude is equivalent to the entire state appropriations for UNC Asheville, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Western Carolina University, and Winston-Salem State University combined. Because state dollars are the primary source of funding for basic academic programs, cuts at this level would require eliminating approximately 3,200 faculty and staff positions across the University and eliminating 240,000 class seats. As a result, students would find themselves in far larger classes and would find that courses they need for graduation are no longer offered or are only offered sporadically.
“While we are grateful that the Subcommittee draft would fully fund enrollment growth in the first year and provide operating support for new buildings, state funding for need-based financial aid would shrink. That is a tremendous concern, given that 60% of our in-state undergraduates depend on need-based financial aid, and rapid tuition increases have put additional strain on students and their families. Other proposed cuts that would adversely impact the University include the loss of all state support for UNC Hospitals, the phased elimination of state support for UNC-TV, and the loss of funds critical for recruiting top graduate students to North Carolina. We are mindful that it is still early in the budget process and will continue to work with legislative leaders to preserve the quality of a UNC education.”
UNCG Chancellor Linda Brady issued the following statement on the draft 2011-13 state budget proposals released by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education:
“I agree with President Ross that the cuts proposed by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education will present an enormous challenge for UNCG, and more importantly, for our students. Since 2007-2008, UNCG has taken permanent cuts of more than $9.6 million and another $39 million in one-time cuts and mandatory reversions. Coming on top of the cuts we have already taken, absorbing an additional cut of approximately $30 million would permanently damage the integrity of our academic programs and dramatically impact the supporting infrastructure of our campus. Cuts of this magnitude would result in the loss of over 200 full-time faculty and staff positions. Students would have more than 44,000 fewer seats available in courses and more than 1,070 course sections would be eliminated. Consequently, students would experience much larger classes and have difficulty enrolling in courses needed to graduate on time.
“UNCG appreciates that the Subcommittee draft budget would fully fund enrollment growth for 2011-2012 and provide operating support for new buildings. However, the decrease in funding for need-based financial aid would have a significant impact on our student body, given that more than 70% of our students depend on financial aid. The proposed cuts would dramatically impact the ability of the university to fulfill our missions of teaching, research and service. We understand that the General Assembly will be making difficult decisions in the weeks ahead and remain hopeful that they will preserve the long-standing commitment the state has made to the University of North Carolina.”
