Our Opinion: Administrators must continue to make smart cuts if economic conditions worsen.

Chancellor James Oblinger, Provost Larry Nielsen and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Business Charlie Leffler compiled the Budget Reduction Plan for the 2009-10 year, which outlines cuts the University is making in each department and office.Our Opinion:

Administrators must continue to make smart cuts if economic conditions worsen.

The plan states the University will cut 5 percent from its budget.

Leffler and Nielsen released the plan April 16, but it is still not posted on Budget Central, which provides information on budget cuts on the University’s Web site. This memo is of the utmost importance because the it states what positions and activities will be cut, and it should be available to everyone. The University said in its budget principles that one of its priorities is to stay transparent. To keep with this principle, the University must have a copy of the plan available on Budget Central.

Aside from the availability of information on budget cuts, the plan shows the good decisions the University made for 2009-10.

The University’s goal is to avoid making across-the-board budget cuts. It will be eliminating 8,595 credit hours out of 750,000, which may seem like a lot but only accounts for about 1.1 percent of credit hours. This shows the University did not make a 5 percent across the board cut when it came to keeping seats and upheld its budget principle to keep undergraduate classes a priority.

The plan also pointed out increased effectiveness and efficiency in certain departments. The Provost’s office eliminated the position of senior vice provost, and other staff members picked up the duties of the cut position.

The University has eliminated 14 unfilled tenure-track faculty positions. Filled positions should almost always have priority over unfilled positions, even though tenure-track faculty are very valuable.

The Budget Reduction Plan stated it considered suggestions from students, staff and faculty when making the cuts and it must continue to do so. This is the only way for people outside of administration to have a voice.

The University should continue to be careful when making cuts. It should let this be an example and a learning experience for the future in case economic conditions continue to worsen.