Northeastern Illinois University will have to cut $1.1 million in spending in the fiscal year of 2009, which will cut back on certain programs, as well as facilities and equipment for NEIU.
According to Vice President of Finance and Administration Mark Wilcockson, and the president’s report to the Board of Trustees, all public state universities have been notified by the Illinois Board of Higher Education that the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget was implementing a 2.5 percent reserve for the fiscal year 2009.
Although the university was told at the beginning of the fiscal year to expect this reserve, the school is going to have to implement some cutbacks across many programs that could potentially delay a student’s graduation or time to degree.
This cutback will not only affect NEIU students, but it has the ability to cut back on faculty to provide the needed course sections for students. Many of the cutbacks will be on part-time staff, but they will also hinder addressing deferred maintenance projects and improving student services operations, such as the Financial Aid Office.
Most of the cutbacks from the budget will be from funds that replace outdated academic equipment, which has some students, as well as teachers, complaining already about the lack of modern equipment.
” The cut in spending is not done with a malicious or unfair purpose,” said Eduardo Arabu Jr., NEIU’s Student Trustee. ” It is done with the sole purpose of not hindering further setbacks in the future, and complying with state and IBHE budget.”
Arabu reconfirmed that the goal of the school is not to cut back on spending for the selfish advancement of a particular new departmental program, much less for any bonuses for any staff members, but for the long term consequences the university could adhere to if the school were not to stay within the budget.
” I feel totally confident and optimistic of the decisions made by both President Hahs and the Board of Trustees in this matter,” said Arabu.
Arabu added that although there will be a cutback due to the economic recession and state budget, it will be to establish a consistency in spending in order to avoid tuition increases down the line.
Wilcockson said that the Board of Trustees is a business serving students’ education and that it plans on staying that way. He also said that NEIU wants to avoid increasing tuition as a result of the budget cutbacks.
” In these matters NEIU tries to make cuts in sources and maintenance issues that would hardly impact students in the long run,” said Wilcockson.