YSU must deal with $3M shortfall because of state budget problems

By Denise Dick | October 6, 2010 at 12:05a.m.

By DENISE DICK

youngstowN

Youngstown State University is facing a roughly $3 million shortfall in funding this year due to a delay in funding from the state.

The lapse is because the state can’t afford to make 12 monthly payments to public universities this year.

“They’ve said they’ll try to restore the payment early next year,” said Eugene Grilli, YSU’s vice president for finance and administration.

The total shortfall for higher education across the state is about $127.5 million. It’s just less than $3 million for YSU, about 2 percent of the university’s overall budget. It’s about a 6 percent cut to YSU’s state funding.

Revenue from increased enrollment this year will help fill some of the gap.

“We’re looking at other operations,” Grilli said. “There won’t be any [cuts] in personnel, but we have some vacancies, and there may be delayed filling of positions so we can accommodate the lapse.”

Universities learned of the lapse last week, he said.

There was positive economic news about the state issued in the governor’s economic report last month — word of new jobs created in July and August and tax revenues that were higher than expected.

“Then suddenly, news comes about the lapse,” Grilli said.

At Kent State University, the delayed payment is just more than $9 million for all campuses, Emily Vincent, university spokeswoman, said in an email.

The Kent campus is $6.87 million, and the total for the regional campuses is $2.15 million. It amounts to about 6.6 percent of KSU’s fiscal-year 2011 state-appropriation budget and just less than 2 percent of its unrestricted educational and general budget.

Of more concern for YSU, though, is funding for fiscal year 2012.

In the last round of federal stimulus funding, YSU got about $7 million. Even if there is another round of stimulus dollars, the state has other needs.

Couple that with next month’s election that could see a new governor and other state officeholders, and it leaves a lot of issues related to higher education undetermined.

“We’re just facing a lot of uncertainty right now,” Grilli said.