The University is requesting a three-percent salary increase while facing the potential for an eight-percent budget cut due to a decline in gas and coal prices.
If the university’s budget is decreased, the proposed amount to be reduced could equal up to $15,664,903, according to Chris Boswell, vice president for governmental and community affairs for the university.
In the process of the budget reduction, up to $2.3 million out of a total scholarship fund of $16.3 million could be reduced. Hathaway scholarships would not be affected. Non-resident scholarships and graduate education funds would mostly feel the effects, Boswell said.
Even with reduced funds to offer to non-resident students, Boswell still believes that students will still find UW to be a great school.
“It’s hard to imagine that there wouldn’t be an impact on non-resident enrollment with reduced scholarships. But even with the budget cuts, UW still remains an incredible value,” Boswell said.
“The university offers a terrific education at a great cost in comparison to other institutions and that’s largely attributed to the fact that the state has chosen to give a large amount of support rather than have higher tuitions.”
If the budget for instructional excellence were to be reduced, it could mean that deteriorating equipment might not be replaced as quickly because nearly $6.1 million will be taken from that budget. This reduction would also affect student services, which include sororities and fraternities and fewer graduate students to help non-traditional students.
The reduction in funding for athletics could equal up to $400,000, which would affect team travel and recruiting contracts. The School of Energy Resource’s budget also could be reduced by about $816,000, which would be eight percent of its general fund, according to Boswell.
Classroom technology funds could see a cut of $1.6 million which would affect the ability to maintain outreach teaching equipment. The university’s maintenance budget could also take a million dollar hit.
As a result of a potential $6.4 million reduction in the personnel budget, certain positions also may be eliminated, which would consist of non-academic as well as faculty positions.
If the eight percent budget cut is implemented, there would be an estimated 80 to 125 staff positions cut in addition to about 20 to 35 faculty positions.
“We’re trying to mostly eliminate positions through attrition rather than by forced layoffs, so we would just try not to fill vacant positions,” Boswell said.
If staff positions were cut, it would mean that there would be fewer people to assist the students. For example, there could be fewer financial advisers and less staff at the library, so there might be longer waits due to longer lines, Boswell said.
Even as the university is facing potential cuts, it has requested a three percent salary increase for faculty and staff, which could possibly be affected by the budget reduction.
“You may ask why the university is asking for a salary increase during a time when there are proposed budget cuts, but even after the cuts are made, the university will still employ a couple thousand people,” Boswell said.
Current salaries for non-academic employees range from about $18,000 to $45,000 per year, while faculty positions range from about $22,500 to $75,000.
The university has to compete with other universities in an effort to keep faculty and staff. Several state universities have increased tuition in order to give a handful of faculty members increased salaries, and UW has seen an increased number of faculty members leaving to go to other institutions, according to Boswell.
“We still need to be able to give students the first-rate education they deserve,” Boswell said.
The university is facing the possibility of these budget cuts due to lower gas and coal prices.
“There’s been a decline in projected revenues for the state of Wyoming largely tied to the price of natural gas and coal. Prices are lower than had been forecast so the state is taking in less revenue,” Boswell said.
The university administration is trying to avoid the cuts as much as possible and is hoping that if the cuts are necessary that they will be for less than eight percent. Even so, UW might still have to face the reality of the proposed budget reduction.
“These cuts are significant and obviously we’d like to avoid them, but UW has to adhere to them just like any other state institution,” Boswell said. “We don’t just get to opt out.”
