EDITORIAL: CMU should have plan to deal with 15% cuts to higher education budget
Gov. Rick Snyder’s decision to slash higher education funding to state universities by 15 percent should not come as a surprise to CMU administrators, and it should serve as the perfect catalyst for them to prepare.
While cuts to higher education funding are always unfortunate, they are warranted this year. What is critical is not how much was cut, but how CMU reacts.
In September, University President George Ross said CMU was preparing for up to a 20-percent reduction in state appropriations for the 2011-12 budget. Thursday’s budget proposal calls for less than that — a $12 million loss as opposed to $16 million.
Because CMU was planning for the worst as early as five months ago, there should be very little room for error once the state’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
Administrators have touted the Academic Prioritization process as a way to rate programs and make cuts where necessary. The process, which commenced in November, should be used to decrease funding to programs considered less vital at CMU. Priorities must put students and programs the university is known for first.
An example is the College of Education and Human Services, one of the largest and most prestigious of its kind in Michigan. CMU invested $50 million in the state of the art EHS building to replace Ronan Hall as the college's headquarters, which was small and showing its five decades.
Meanwhile, spending to programs that do not directly affect student success can be reduced or even possibly eliminated.
Snyder’s proposed budget comes with an $83 million incentive that would be shared to public universities if they keep tuition increases around 7 percent or less.
CMU must consider this and make every effort to keep this summer’s tuition increase minimal — or not include one at all. The last time CMU raised tuition by more than 7 percent was in 2008, when Michael Rao was university president.
A modest increase of 2.06 percent was approved last summer and a similar move should not be out of the question for 2011.
Snyder cited a need for “tough decisions” with the new budget and higher education is no exception. However, the governor’s decision cannot set off a pattern of education cuts later in his term.
Another significant cut to higher-ed funding in the 2012-13 fiscal year would be undoubtedly baseless.
