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UW-Stevens Point makes plans to pay back disparity

The 2007-09 Wisconsin state budget has been signed into law, and although University of Wisconsin System officials have said they are happy with the agreement, it leaves them with a $25 million bill to be paid back to the state.

Of the $25 million owned, UW-Stevens Point is responsible for repaying $1 million. The school has a tentative idea of how to pay back the $1 million it owes, though no formal plan has been made yet.

“We are looking at trying to cut back in some of our faculty vacancies,” said UW-Stevens Point Provost Mark Nook. “We are looking at natural attrition and retirements. We are not going to let anyone go who has a job and wants to stay.”

The bill will need to be repaid to the State Treasurer by the end of the 2009 fiscal year.
Nook also said students need not worry about losing educational opportunities.

“Anytime we cut a faculty position, we know we are going to impact class size,” Nook said. “But we won’t make it so people cannot complete their majors or their general education credits.”

UW-Stevens Point plans to recoup some of the lost money from other areas, he said.

“We are also looking at trying to take some of this out of supplies and equipment money and sources that are not faculty-driven,” Nook said. “Some will come out of personnel, and some will come out of supplies and equipment. We look at places with a little wiggle room.”

Nook added the university’s main goal is to come up with the money without negatively affecting students.

The UW System overall has a similar plan to UW-Stevens Point, UW System spokesperson David Giroux said.

“The Legislature saw fit to provide us with flexibility, and we are going to use that flexibility very carefully,” Giroux said. “We are going to use vacant positions, one-time savings, little pots of money here and there to pay the money back while at the same time living up to our Growth Agenda. And we are going to do everything we can to insulate the students from any impact of the lapse.”

Giroux said UW System officials plan on doing everything they can to “insulate the students” from any impact of the budget lapse, but added it is not the most drastic budget restriction that could have happened.

“There are multiple ways our budget can be added to or diminished,” Giroux said. “The worst case would be a budget cut. With a lapse, this affords us a great deal of flexibility. We can tap into many funds and find savings wherever we can.”

Giroux also said he is confident in the UW System’s leadership.
“[UW-Stevens Point] Chancellor Linda Bunnell has been through this before, as have many of our other chancellors,” he said. “We believe they are up to the challenge.”