YSU budget report shows $6M funding gap for 2010

By Harold Gwin

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University isn’t talking any hard numbers yet, but a preliminary fiscal 2010 budget report to the university trustees shows an anticipated funding gap of about $6 million at this point.

The university operated on a $148 million budget this year, with $50 million coming from the state, about $94 million from tuition and fees, and around $4 million from investments and other sources.

Thomas Maraffa, special assistant to YSU’s president, told the trustees Wednesday that there are still some uncertainties in the budgeting process, most notably just how much state aid YSU will get next year.

The state’s biennial budget is still being debated, and different scenarios show that YSU could actually lose funding or that it might gain some state aid.

Just a 1 percent drop in state assistance translates into $500,000 in revenue, and that’s the equivalent of tuition from 62 full-time students, he said.

The university is looking at a $6 million funding gap if revenues remain flat or decrease and expenditures rise through employee compensation contracts, technology master plan costs and other expenses, Maraffa said.

On top of that, YSU could lose up to $1.5 million in tuition revenue from western Pennsylvania students because the university cut the out-of-state tuition rate for students coming from eight Pennsylvania counties to essentially the same $6,720 tuition paid by in-state undergraduates next year, he said.

That $6 million gap amounts to 4 percent of the budget, which is a “manageable percentage to deal with,” Maraffa said, pointing out that the administration already has been able to cover 60 percent ($3.6 million) by planning to delay filling some nonfaculty posts and not filling others, reducing operating, overtime and other budgets and making certain budget adjustments and reallocations.

There are other steps under consideration, he said, such as reducing the amount of reassigned time and the part-time faculty budget and reducing nonmandatory travel expenses.

The university could also look at certain revenue enhancements, such as raising graduate student tuition, he said.

YSU has made a commitment to the state to keep undergraduate tuition frozen, but that freeze doesn’t apply to graduate students.

Scott Schulick, trustee board chairman, told the administration that he wants to be sure there is a contingency plan should enrollment decline or state revenue drop. The university needs to know where it can look for further cuts, he said.

David C. Sweet, YSU president, said the 2010 budget preparation is an ongoing effort. The trustees are welcome to make any suggestions they might have in that process, he added.

gwin@vindy.com