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YSU plans to eliminate more vacant positions
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State University plans to trim $5.2 million from the fiscal year 2015 budget through a combination of eliminating vacant staff and faculty positions, boosting retention, reducing operation costs and an increase in state funding.
Another $5 million in reductions will be needed in fiscal year 2016 to balance the university’s operating budget. The university has a projected $10 million operating budget deficit.
“We don’t want to be in the business of managing the deficit,” said Neal McNally, interim vice president for finance and administration.
The two-year plan was presented Tuesday to YSU trustees’ Finance and Facilities Committee. It didn’t require committee approval.
The plan includes eliminating 43 vacant staff positions and seven vacant faculty positions. That’s in addition to the 43 vacant staff positions eliminated and the layoffs of 15 personnel last June, McNally said.
The latest 43 eliminated staff total $3.1 million with another $727,000 saved by cutting the seven faculty vacancies.
McNally said the plan for the second year is being developed by a budget committee. Membership of that group includes administrators and has expanded this year to add students and faculty members, he said.
“This is not going to be easy, either,” said President Jim Tressel. “This is going to be a battle.”
He said some of the positions that are being eliminated likely are needed.
“We just can’t afford them right now until we get the ship turned around,” Tressel said. “And then when we do get the ship turned around, we have to be very responsible about what we invest in.”
McNally said, though, the plan isn’t just about reductions.
“You can’t cut your way to prosperity,” he said.
The $450,000 to be realized from improvement in spring enrollment retention is based on a 1 percent increase. Jack Fahey, vice president for student affairs, said that number is based on the increase in the number of registrations this year.
Tressel referred to YSU’s change last year, effective this fall, from operating as an open-enrollment university that accepted every student who applied, to an open-access university that sets some standards for acceptance.
“If it was a good idea to be more selective, naturally there’s a reason for optimism,” he said.
Students who meet a higher standard are less likely to drop out.
The university actually is hoping for a 2 percent retention increase but only plans for 1 percent in the first year of the two-year plan. McNally said the reductions in operating spending, also $450,000, includes everything from travel, dues and memberships and equipment.
The State Share of Instruction formula allocation from the Ohio Board of Regents in November shows an increase of $714,500 compared to the allocation from last May, adding to the adjustments included in the plan.