Interim University President Kathy Wilbur did not have a compilation of suggested 3, 6 or 9 percent cuts to discuss as she previously planned. She received the suggestions Monday from each of CMU’s budget centers.

“I feel it’s not appropriate at this time,” Wilbur said of such a discussion. “I think we need to wait until Dr. (George) Ross gets here.”

In a January interview, Wilbur said she hoped to have a solid set of proposals to present to the Board at its February meeting. Ross was named CMU’s president-designate in December and will assume leadership March 1.

Trustees Gail Torreano and Marilyn French Hubbard were not present at the meeting, although Hubbard was on teleconference. Trustee John Hurd left about 10 minutes before the meeting adjourned.

Forum Tuesday

A budget forum will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium to address CMU’s budget in general. The forum will be the first of many, Wilbur said.

Tuesday’s forum will consist of a panel of Wilbur; interim Provost Gary Shapiro; David Burdette, vice president of Finance and Administration Services; Toby Roth, director of Government Relations and Public Affairs; and Ted Tolcher, interim vice president of Development and Alumni Relations.

Burdette said the forum will be a chance for the campus community to learn a little more about the university’s budget.

“It’s an update on what we know, which isn’t a lot,” he said. “And a chance for campus folks to ask questions.”

The forum will start with a brief presentation of the budget’s history, revenue and how the budget works. Then the floor will be open for questions.

“What might be even more important is trying to answer the questions,” Wilbur said. “There are some we can’t answer.”

There are so many unknowns, including state budget, tuition and enrollment, Wilbur said, it is hard to have definitive answers on certain topics.

Discussions of budget cuts may be minimal, but Wilbur said she hopes to respond to suggestions given online through the CMU Portal by next week.

Government relations

Roth will speak in the government relations portion of the forum.

He said he hopes those in attendance will get a sense of what is going on in Lansing and in Washington regarding budgets.

“I think it’s an update for us,” Roth said. “I think they are hearing competing plans from government officials. Some are looking for tax increases, some are looking for purely cuts in the current budget.

“I’m just not sure how it’s going to work.”

Roth hopes to discuss which policies will move forward and when they will move forward.

He said right now, it is hard for the university to make many decisions when it comes to the budget.

But the forum will be a good opportunity for the panel to hear the concerns of the community, he said. Roth is unsure how proposed cuts will be addressed.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to come together and talk about what’s on our minds every day,” he said. “We just haven’t made any of those decisions and we just can’t.”