Tough decisions await Mississippi State University president-to-be Mark Keenum as the effects of the current economic downturn meet proposed cutbacks for state agencies, including higher education.
Gov. Haley Barbour ordered a 2 percent spending reduction, totalling an estimated $42 million, in the state’s proposed current fiscal year budget Wednesday.
Laura Hipp, Barbour’s deputy press secretary, said the governor has asked state agencies and the Legislature to look for ways to trim spending by 2 percent this fiscal year.
MSU Interim President Roy Ruby said any time there is a budget cut it means there will be a reduction somewhere.
“We will be working to cut the budget in such a way as to do the least damage to the university’s ability to carry out its mission, which is teaching, service and research,” he said.
The first things protected will be the academic and teaching aspects of the institution, he said.
“We will take care of any necessary reductions in personnel by attrition and a freeze on some positions, but not faculty positions at this time,” Ruby said.
He said it is his understanding the university receives about 35 percent of its budget from the state of Mississippi.
“We will try to increase our efficiency whereas we do not have to cut programs or people,” he said.
MSU will be able to handle the cuts just as well as the other state universities,
Ruby said.
“We [university administration]
don’t know what we are going
to cut, but whatever is done,
we will do it in a fashion to hurt
the university the least,” he said.
Provost Peter Rabideau said
Ruby has made a decision to
protect academic programs from
the 2 percent budget cuts.
“Right now we have a number
of faculty searches going
on,” he said. “We are not freezing
faculty hires at the moment
and are hoping to make those
hires in the fall.”
There are other universities
experiencing similar situations,
Rabideau said.
“We are not bad off as some
places at the moment,” he said.
Rep. Stephen Holland, DLee,
said in bad economic times,
when revenues do not meet projections,
the law gives the governor
the right to reduce funding.
“We are at a bad economic
downturn and when the money
is not available, it can’t be
spent,” he said. “The governor
has offered to partner with the
legislature to resolve this.”
This is just a regrettable situation,
he said.
“There were indicators last
year that we were on a downturn,”
he said. “It was actually
much like we thought but
not severely as it would be and
yet not severely as it is in most
states.”
Holland said he hopes the
financial situation for the eight
senior colleges in the state will
dramatically improve.
“Funding higher education is
a very high priority of mine, and
I long for the day we can stabilize
that funding,” he said.
Sen. Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo,
said he thinks everyone can
see the effects of an international
downturn.
“I think families, businesses
and students understand that if
you don’t have the money you
cannot spend it,” he said. “Our
tax revenue is not coming in at
the rate we thought it would be
coming in, but it is above where
it was at this time last year.”
Mississippi has not been as
affected as other states, but it is
being affected, he said.
“A lot of the economic downturn
is because of the housing
and financial market,” he said.
“Mississippi is not as nearly dependent
on those markets like
states that include New York and
California.”