The University of Kansas

Budget crisis leads to 'painful cuts'

The university this week announced a series of budget cuts to help absorb a 3 percent, or $7.1 million, reduction to its state-funded budget for the new fiscal year.
The measures include laying off staff and eliminating vacant positions, reducing operating budgets, closing or reorganizing units and initiating a voluntary summer leave-without-pay program. In addition, for the first time since 1972, the university will be granting no regular salary increases. No other Kansas regents university will give regular salary increases this year either.
The cuts are due to the reduction of the university’s state general fund appropriation for fiscal year 2003 and the state’s failure to add to the base budgets of all regents universities the funds necessary to cover salary increases for fiscal year 2002 and rising health insurance costs.
“These cuts are painful, especially those that involve the elimination of jobs,” said Chancellor Robert Hemenway. “But difficult times call for difficult decisions.
“We are making strategic, not across-the-board, cuts. These focused cuts allow for administrative efficiencies and restructuring, and they protect productive research areas and important teaching units.”
In an earlier message to the campus on June 6, the chancellor said that deans and administrators were recommending how their units could deal with the $7.1 million budget cuts and that final decisions were pending. The cuts announced this week should set KU’s budget for fiscal year 2003, which begins July 1.
On the Lawrence campus, at least 22 filled positions will be affected, and 32 vacant positions will be eliminated. Of the 22 filled positions, 10 are classified and 12 are unclassified. The classified employees whose positions will be eliminated will be offered other jobs within the university. KU will do whatever it can to help unclassified employees find jobs. The employees have been notified. Employee transition assistance, such as job counseling, is being offered through KU’s Human Resources department.
“We will be sensitive to the needs of these staff members and will do everything we can to assist them,” Hemenway said.
Several research units on the Lawrence campus are being significantly reduced or phased out over the next year. The Kansas Geological Survey will phase out a statistical research unit. State funding for the Paleontological Institute will be eliminated. The Museum of Anthropology will close its public exhibition space. The museum’s collections will remain available for educational and research activities, and curatorial work carrying out provisions of the Native American graves repatriation law will continue. Summer programs currently under way and the fall Lawrence Indian Arts show will go on as scheduled.
Layoffs and the elimination of vacant positions were announced in March at the
university’s medical center campus in Kansas City, Kan., and School of Medicine campus in Wichita. The medical center campus closed the physical therapy program in Pittsburg and the nursing neonatal intensive care master’s degree program, reduced library hours by two hours daily, made significant cuts in operating and equipment funds, reduced the number of clinical outreach airplane flights within the state and eliminated 35 positions.
In the support services area on the Lawrence campus, reductions will affect one limited-term employee, whose contract will not be renewed, and five employees whose positions will end due to the closing of an asbestos abatement unit. The university will contract with outside firms for asbestos abatement but will continue its monitoring and compliance role at anticipated cost savings. In addition, two clerical staff positions will be eliminated.