Posted 5-5-11
The N.C. House of Representatives on Wednesday, May 4, voted to pass its state budget for FY 2011-13. The Senate will now have the opportunity to review the House proposal and develop its own version.
UNC President Tom Ross issued the following statement Wednesday on the House budget
recommended for FY 2011-13:
“The budget approved today by the House of Representatives would inflict real and lasting damage to the academic quality and reputation of the University of North Carolina. We are thankful that House leaders provided the University some flexibility in determining how to apply and manage mandated cuts. That said, no amount of flexibility could offset the impact of permanent net cuts totaling nearly $491 million (17.7 percent). We are particularly concerned that even deeper cuts in the pool of need-based aid are now being proposed. That is a tremendous setback, given that 60 percent of our in-state undergraduates depend on need-based financial aid. This loss of funding would reduce the number of eligible students who could receive need-based aid by more than 5,500, and middle-class students would be hit particularly hard. As the budget process moves forward, we will continue to work with legislative leaders to lessen cuts to the University and increase the pool of funding for need-based aid.”
UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady today issued the following statement on the House budget
recommended for FY 2011-13:
“The budget passed by the North Carolina House of Representatives on Wednesday would result in long-term damage to our academic programs and dramatically impact the supporting infrastructure of our campus. From 2007 to present, UNCG has taken permanent cuts of more than $9.6 million and absorbed another $39 million in one-time cuts and mandatory reversions. Previous budget cuts have already forced larger classes and fewer courses. The permanent net cuts included in the House budget, totaling nearly $30 million for UNCG (17.7 percent), would change the very nature of our campus. The House budget would force the elimination 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 – a reduction of up to 32 percent of our instructional capacity.
“While we are thankful that House leaders provided the University some flexibility to manage mandated cuts, the proposed reduction in need-based financial aid threatens to severely limit access to returning and incoming students at a time when access to higher education has never been more important to North Carolina’s economic future. More than 70 percent of UNCG students depend on financial aid. As the budget moves from the House to the Senate, I remain hopeful that the General Assembly will minimize cuts to the University and preserve our ability to develop the highly educated workforce essential to the state’s sustained economic recovery and long-term economic competitiveness.”
