While CMU has decided to cut the CLAS Testing Center, portions of Health Advocacy Services and layoff 60 staff members, other universities are finding more creative ways to save money.

University of Toledo

The University of Toledo decided to eliminate four administrative positions, saving the university $620,000. The positions eliminated include: executive director of governmental relations, the assistant to the president for community relations, the vice president for enrollment services and the vice president for educational and information technology, said Rebecca Magard, media relations coordinator.

“This is only one of the things we’re doing. It’s an effort to streamline the executive staff and upper-level administration,” she said. “We’re also looking at eliminating 28 positions in the professional staff and communication workers. Out of those, 16 have people in the positions and the rest are unfilled.

“We’re still in negotiations with the union; nothing is final.”

The two vice president positions will be eliminated effective Dec. 31, and the other two will be phased out by the end of the summer, Magard said.

A decision on tuition has not been made; however, Magard said she thinks the governor will set a tuition cap at 6 percent.

“What we raise our tuition depends on what the state comes down to,” she said.

Michigan State University

Michigan State University Trustees voted Thursday to increase tuition 9.9 percent, and room and board by 6 percent, said Terry Denbow, university relations vice president.

“We decided there was a $60 million problem. We addressed it two ways — with internal cuts and reductions and by the raising tuition and room and board,” he said. “I try to tell people that the combined cost increase of tuition and room and board is 8.1 percent.”

A list of internal cuts including program elimination addressed $31 million, he said. MSU had a tuition guarantee policy for nearly seven years — ensuring families that tuition would not be raised more than 2.8 percent.

“If we had raised tuition at the average of other Michigan publics, students will be paying $1,000 more than they are paying now,” he said. “If we did it compared to other Big Ten (schools), students would be paying $1,400 more.”

Denbow said MSU also increased financial aid 10 percent.

“We took some money out of a fund for infrastructure, and we also have a new federal insured student loan program — if students and families pay on time, after three years the loan becomes interest free,” he said. “If you increase tuition, you have to increase financial aid. Access has to be ensured, as well as quality.”

Denbow said MSU is always looking at ways to increase efficiency.

“The student body has been very, very understanding and so have the unions on campus,” he said.

Western Michigan University

Cheryl Roland, director of news and communication, said Western Michigan University is looking at several options for saving money.

“We decided on a hiring freeze in late February or early March. For different areas, exceptions have been made,” she said. “Each area of university has been asked to reduce expenditures by varying percentages. Many of the things addressed for next year are still to be implemented.”

A senior level staff group that has been working on strategic planning, and although an increase in tuition is still an option, the WMU Board of Trustees does not meet until the middle of July, Roland said.