Role ReverDu to a revenue shortfall announced by the Louisiana Rev- enue Estimating Committee days before the winter holidays, the University will face mid-year bud- get cuts of approximately $1.14 million or 5.1 percent of its state general fund.
Although these cuts, which are effective immediately, must be accomplished by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2012, the University will not layoff any employees, having reduced the faculty and staff by nearly 100 people since 2008.
However, a freeze has been placed on all vacant positions, except those positions which are es– sential to the core of the institu– tion. Also, faculty and staff will likely not see a pay increase for the fifth year in a row.
Students have already seen increases in their tuition and fees; this is helping to cover some of these cuts.
The budgets for areas on campus that receive money from the state
general fund will also be affected. These areas include athletics, the Louisiana Center for Women and Government and the Louisiana Center for Dyslexia and Related Learning Disorders.
Three-hundred and fifty thou- sand dollars of the Louisiana Cen– ter for Dyslexia and Related Learn- ing Disorders’ budget of $650,000 comes from the state. Because of the mid-year cut, director Karen Chauvin said the center would take a $15,000 cut.
Students who use the center’s facilities and pay a $525 enrollment fee each semester will likely see an increase of about $50 on their fee slips beginning Fall 2012 if approved, Chauvin said. These fees cover tutoring in the center, general academic assistance, the computer lab and other assistance technology such as devices which scan books and read them aloud. Primarily, though, the increased fee will help pay those who assist the students.
“Mostly it’s the support that they receive from the coordinators, the people that work with them. It’s
tutoring, but it’s also general aca– demic support,” Chauvin said.
The cuts, however, will not affect the center’s fourth annual confer- ence on Jan. 28. The conference, which draws hundreds of students to the University, will feature a variety of breakout sessions and speakers and is open to anyone in- terested in making a difference in the lives of students with dyslexia.
Aside from increased tuition and fees already in place and the in- crease in dyslexia center fees, cur- rent students will likely not notice any other increases, since most cuts are being absorbed in other ways, such as fewer scholarships being offered and smaller travel and equipment budgets.
In a news release sent to fac– ulty and staff, University presi– dent Stephen Hulbert said that because there was no time during the Christmas holidays to consider input from all individuals, the new budgets of the areas affected were determined by a formula that took into consideration “the funds al- ready encumbered, the funds re- maining and a minimum and maxi- mum budget for the remainder of the year.”
Hulbert said in the release that the integrity the University strives for will remain intact, de- spite the cuts.
“Because of the dedicated fac– ulty and staff and a willingness to look at other ways to work smart- er, the core of Nicholls remains strong, and the institution will survive and flourish even though the fund for Nicholls State and all of Louisiana higher education in- stitutions remains well below that of our peer institutions in other states,” Hulbert said.
Since 2008, the state funding for the University has decreased from $35.8 million to $22.3 million or approximately 38 percent.
