University of Kansas to slash budget by $20 million

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - The University of Kansas plans to cut $20 million from its Lawrence campus during the next fiscal year.

The university announced Tuesday that the reductions will mean about a 5.9 percent budget decrease for all Lawrence campus units and departments. The cuts take effect July 1, the Lawrence Journal-World reported .

“The map to move us forward readjusts our budget to meet our obligations and helps us put our students, staff and faculty first,” said Carl Lejuez, interim provost and executive vice chancellor. “This includes a commitment to keep tuition increases as low as possible and to enact a plan for getting back to annual merit raises, even if small at first.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if the reductions would lead to layoffs.

University officials said the budget reductions were necessary because of long-term commitments and investments that have exceeded revenue. They also cited a decade-long downtrend in state funding.

“Staying the current course is not an option,” Lejuez said. “If we make no changes in the coming year, we will have overspent our budget with no remaining balances to support this overspending, and operations will be short a minimum of $50 million within five years.”

Lejuez’s office has already started working on a longer-term plan that includes developing a new budget model, according to the interim provost.

“This year’s budget reduction will be difficult, but combined with a new budget model, this is the right strategy to address our challenges and puts us in a position to fully align our resources with our core mission,” said Chancellor Douglas Girod.

The university’s announcement came just weeks after Kansas State University announced it would reduce its budget by $15 million for the upcoming school year. University officials earlier this month said the nearly 5.3 percent cut will affect administrative offices, colleges and research and extension. Officials cited declining enrollment as the main reason for the cuts.

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Information from: Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, http://www.ljworld.com