Central Michigan University will “be lucky” to keep state appropriations at the same level as the 2008-09 school year, university officials said.

“We will be extremely fortunate if the budget is held constant from this year,” said Kathy Wilbur, vice president of Government Relations and Public Affairs and interim university president-elect.

Wilbur said the Board of Trustees will still look to approve a budget at its July 16 meeting, even if the state’s budget is not set. She said they will base the budget off of “guesstimates” with the budget.

“We are doing that without knowing what the state appropriations are,” she said.

CMU’s budget will not be set by the end of the academic year, Wilbur said, and CMU can expect the state to set its budget during the fall semester.

“I have indicated to folks on campus they could not complete the budget until fall,” she said.

The Michigan Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education was meeting this week and said it would have a recommendation to the full Senate on where they would like to see cuts made, Wilbur said. The bill should come to the Senate floor by early next week.

After the Senate and House both propose their versions of the budget to their respective floors, the two will hold a conference committee, a bicameral committee that will work to set the final budget to be sent to Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

The structure for the conference committee, however, will be different than year’s past.

Wilbur said the committee usually would set its budgetary goals before going into the committee. This year, she said, both the House and Senate side will go into the committee with a separate list of cuts and recommendations.

She said she wasn’t sure why the committee would be handling the budget differently this year.

“Part of it is the Senate felt there should be more cuts made,” she said.

Director of Media Relations Steve Smith said after Wilbur accepts the presidency, Director of Federal Programs Toby Roth will continue working with the budget.

No date for interim provost

With only two weeks until Wilbur assumes the presidency, said there is still no schedule for her to select an interim provost.

She said the Board of Trustees wanted her to select the incoming provost, as Wilbur would be working with him or her.

Outgoing Provost Julia Wallace accepted the same position at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She will begin there July 1.

Wilbur said she has been in consultation with University President Michael Rao and Wallace about finding a replacement.

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E-mail the author: David Veselenak