Fall 2009

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Principles and Priorities During the Budget Crisis
Tracey Peake, News Services

It’s not news that the current economic situation is forcing universities to make some tough decisions about budgets, and NC State University is no exception. The University has been asked to include an 18 percent reduction target in its budget plans for the 2009 – 2010 fiscal year. is is in addition to the 6 percent budget reversion that the University incurred earlier in 2009. Budget plans from the University were due on June 15, and the North Carolina General Assembly should have a final budget for the next fiscal year by the end of July.

Obviously, cuts this large will affect every member of the NC State family, but the University has set some firm principles in its planning process in order to protect the classroom as much as possible.

The first priority is to preserve NC State’s ability to teach its students. is includes making every effort to provide class sections and instructors needed for students to make normal progress toward graduation. As far as financial aid is concerned, the goal is to ensure that no student who can benefit from an NC State education be denied that opportunity due to finances.

In terms of general budget planning, the basic tenet of the University’s approach is to make decisions that meet the demands of the budget in a way that will help the University recover quickly when better economic times return. Budget plans are built based on campus-wide conversations with faculty, staff, students and the standing University Budget Advisory Committee, and in accordance with guidelines provided by UNC General Administration and the governor. Chancellor Jim Woodward will be especially valuable to these efforts, as he has extensive leadership experience in both the public and private sectors, and is fully committed to leading NC State through this budgetary crisis.

Go to the budget website at www.ncsu.edu/budget for information on the budget process and NC State’s reduction plans. Additionally, you can browse commonly asked questions, submit a question of your own, and sign up for e-mail updates.

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