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Memorandum
Expanded Background on Proposed Budget Reductions
REVISED MARCH 17, 2003 ORIGINALLY ISSUED MARCH 10, 2003
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The original version of this document did not refer to specific reductions in Business & Finance and Student Affairs. Background on those reductions is now included.
A separate document, Museum Studies Background, was issued by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies on April 3, 2003.
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I. Museum and Museum Studies
($1,103,614; Eliminate eight tenured faculty positions, 12.33
FTE managerial/professional positions and 2.06 clerical/technical/service
positions)
The University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM) consists of a series of
research divisions and a division of Public Programs, which includes Morrill
Hall and two branch museums (Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park
and Trailside Museum). Museum Studies is a UNL masters degree program.
Proposal:
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Reduce the research mission of University of Nebraska
State Museum (UNSM) by eliminating the research divisions and some research
collections.
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Consider reducing public visitation hours at UNSM.
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Close Mueller Planetarium.
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Maintain most public programs, including those at
Morrill Hall and at the branch museums (Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical
Park and Trailside Museum).
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Eliminate the Museum Studies Masters Degree Program,
including eliminating all budget for staff support, instruction and operations.
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Description:
Research divisions in the University of Nebraska State Museum would be
eliminated. Where possible, the Museum would continue to maintain collections
of particular distinction and/or importance to Nebraska, including
Vertebrate Paleontology, Invertebrate Paleontology, Parasitology, Botany,
and Entomology. These collections would continue to be available to
support teaching and research by university faculty and others. It
would be necessary to rely on the expertise of faculty in academic
departments for assistance in managing our collections. Collections
that would no longer be a primary focus for the Museum (e.g., zoology
and anthropology) would be transferred responsibly through deaccession,
long-term loan, or inter-university transfer.
The Museum would maintain (likely with reduced hours) most public and
outreach programs, including those at Morrill Hall, Ashfall Fossil
Beds State Historical Park and Trailside Museum. Mueller Planetarium
would be closed.
One tenured faculty position in Public Programs would be retained.
The Museum would no longer have tenured faculty positions in the research
divisions; consequently all eight tenured faculty positions in the
UNSM research divisions would be eliminated. Faculty members with tenure
in academic units who have partial appointments in UNSM will be increased
to full appointments in their home departments.
This proposal would also result in the elimination of 12.33 FTE managerial/professional
positions and 1.66 FTE clerical/technical/service positions.
To help manage the collections, some tenured Museum faculty members
may be re-employed in academic units. In addition, up to four (4.0
FTE) museum specialists would be hired to maintain collections.
The masters degree program in Museum Studies would be eliminated. Museum
Studies is a masters program offering the M.A. or M.S. degrees. Museum
Studies offers both a major and a minor at the Masters level. There
is no doctoral level program in Museum Studies at UNL. Most students
pursue a "non-thesis" option of 36 credit hours and do not
do a major research project to complete their degree.
Permanent state funding for this program is currently $26,642, but
$40,000 per year of additional temporary funding must be added in order
to cover all the expenses of the program. Additionally, some Museum
Studies faculty members teach courses for the program "in load," so
their time is another expense of offering the program. This proposal
would eliminate a 0.40 FTE clerical/technical service position.
Impact:
Loss of faculty and staff would result in a major reduction in the
research on collections and the potential to attract external funding
to UNL in fields where external funding opportunities are growing and
for which there are several active grants.
The loss of the zoology and anthropology collections would diminish
the ability to document Nebraska's heritage, to describe the State's
natural history, and to manage its natural resources. In addition,
these collections would no longer be available to support K-12, undergraduate
and graduate education. Many specimens in these collections were discovered
and given to UNSM by Nebraska citizens.
Closing Mueller Planetarium would eliminate Lincoln's only planetarium,
which is used by children and adults alike.
The loss of the Museum Studies program would result in one less Masters
degree-granting program for UNL graduate students. There are approximately
41 students currently enrolled in the program, and approximately 13
of these students are scheduled to graduate in May 2003. There may
be as many as 25 students who are working toward a minor in Museum
Studies (it is difficult to estimate the number of students who are
pursuing a minor, as masters students typically do not formally declare
a minor until they apply for graduation). The program has admitted
approximately 10 new students for the fall 2003 term. Some students
could transfer into other masters degree programs at UNL.
Operating Plan:
Recognizing the importance of the UNSM to Nebraskans, it is essential
to maintain a strong public presence. Morrill Hall would remain open,
possibly with reduced hours. Exhibits and educational experiences,
including the Encounter Center, would be maintained. UNSM would be
led by a Director responsible for developing and implementing a vision
for the Museum. The Associate Director for Public Programs would continue
to provide leadership and maintain the Museum's strength in the area
of informal science education.
Operations of the Museum (finance, facilities, marketing, personnel,
etc.) would be primarily managed by a business manager, who would also
oversee operations of the branch museums. The Lincoln-based UNSM team
would also include an education facilitator, staff assistant, graphic
designer, exhibits specialist and security/public information specialist.
Other positions, supported by earned income, may be required to effectively
operate UNSM.
Existing grants, where possible, may be transferred to academic departments
on campus. Every effort would be made to keep the grants; however,
if arrangements cannot be made, funds would be returned to the sponsoring
agency.
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park would remain open. The superintendent's
salary would be partially (0.30 FTE) transferred to income earned from
admission fees. State funds for student workers and operations would
also be reduced, requiring support from earned income.
Trailside Museum would remain open and the current staffing level would
remain in place.
It would be necessary to suspend the admission of new Museum Studies
students who intend to start their programs of study in the summer
or fall of 2003.
Most of the Museum Studies curriculum is delivered by adjunct instructors,
and this proposal includes elimination of all funding for temporary
instruction in the program. Therefore, it may be difficult to continue
to offer Museum Studies courses after July 1, 2003. It may be necessary
to waive program requirements and offer substitution courses to the
students who remain in the program. Advisors for these students would
have to be identified.
Rationale: Public Programs Division
The Public Programs Division has a profound impact on the citizens of Nebraska, particularly our children, through gallery school programs and interactive exhibits at Morrill Hall and the branch museums. The Public Programs Division also impacts students through educational kits distributed to schools in Nebraska and nationally through the award-winning multi-media "Wonderwise" program. This division is highly respected as a leader in informal science education and participates in federally-funded science programs (including receipt of a recent $2.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation) with other U.S. museums and partnerships with national 4-H youth programs. It is critical to maintain these important public programs, which are of great importance to so many Nebraskans. Due to the budget reductions, it would be necessary to consider reducing the number of hours Morrill Hall is open to the public.
Mueller Planetarium, located in Morrill Hall, was established through a donation in 1958. Closing Mueller Planetarium would eliminate Lincoln's only planetarium. In recent years, most likely due to competing technologies, revenues have not been sufficient to cover expenses.
Trailside Museum, located in western Nebraska at Fort Robinson State Park, would remain open with no additional budget reduction. Its budget was reduced in 2002 when the superintendent's position was eliminated.
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, located in northeastern Nebraska near
Royal, would receive a small budget reduction. Thirty percent of the superintendent's
salary would be transferred from state funds to admission fee income. Although
this cut would reduce operating flexibility, we anticipate that Ashfall would
continue to benefit Nebraskans as an important educational resource and tourist
destination.
Other affiliated programs of UNSM currently receive no state funding and hence are not impacted by this proposal. For example, the Lester F. Larsen Tractor Museum is funded through donations and an endowment.
Rationale: Research Divisions
The research divisions of UNSM include divisions in Vertebrate Paleontology, Invertebrate Paleontology, Parasitology, Entomology, Botany, Anthropology and Zoology.
The Museum would continue to maintain collections of particular distinction or
Nebraska importance, which would continue to be available to support teaching
and research by university faculty and others. Selection of collections was based
on the following criteria:
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The scientific importance, quality, and rarity of the collection.
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The recent, current, and likely future level of research based on
the collection, including the history of federal grant funding and the
potential for acquiring significant further federal or other funding.
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The importance of the collection to documenting and preserving
the natural history of Nebraska and the Great Plains region.
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Vertebrate Paleontology is the most important
UNL collection. It is internationally renowned and highly ranked among
major museum collections. The Parasitology and Entomology collections are
also internationally recognized and widely used in faculty research. The
Botany collection is of great importance in understanding Nebraska's natural
resources. The Invertebrate Paleontology collection is massive and curated
by faculty in other UNL academic departments. These collections would be
maintained.
Based on the criteria listed above, the Zoology and Anthropology collections
would no longer be primary focuses of UNSM and would be transferred responsibly
through deaccession, long-term loan, or inter-university transfer. A brief
description of each division follows.
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Vertebrate Paleontology
The Vertebrate Paleontology fossil collections are the cornerstone of the public
perception of UNSM. Along with Public Programs, these collections are the most
identifiable part of the Museum among the citizens of the state. The collections
total 1.5 million specimens, are highly ranked nationally and are instrumental
to understanding the biota and climate of the Cenozoic Era and the origin and
evolution of the land mammals. The collections attract numerous national and
international visitors. Vertebrate Paleontology has a priceless repository
of the large mammals of North America, especially from Nebraska. Both of the
branch museums are devoted to paleontology, and the most famous exhibits in
Morrill Hall are the paleontology galleries. These collections would be managed
by faculty in an academic department.
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Invertebrate Paleontology
The Invertebrate Paleontology collection holds 7.5 million specimens, and the
Department of Geosciences has important holdings in micropaleontology. The
collection is currently managed by faculty members from the Conservation and
Survey Division and the Department of Geosciences.
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Parasitology
The Parasitology collection is very large, containing 1.1 million specimens,
and of exceptional quality: it was recently ranked among the top two in the
United States (the other being the Smithsonian). This Division performs an
outstanding service to the fields of public health, medicine, and veterinary
science through the identification of endo- and ectoparasites of humans and
other animals. The Division has an extraordinary library that is the best in
the Western Hemisphere and among the best in the world. Numerous scientists
visit the laboratory each year for their research. This Division has had continuous
funding from NSF in recent years.
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Entomology
The Entomology collection has shown remarkable growth over the past six years
in both the number and quality of the specimens and in its national and international
stature. It provides a high-quality learning environment for graduate students
from the Department of Entomology and it attracts a significant number of international
scholars. The collection has grown primarily through a long-term loan from
the Smithsonian Institution of unique materials that document the species diversity
of scarab beetles in the tropics. This Division currently has NSF funding.
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Botany
The Botany Division with its associated Charles Bessey Herbarium contains 300,000
specimens. The collection is important, primarily because of the strength of
its historical holdings of the flora of the northern Great Plains. The specimens
are used extensively by resource managers to identify plants and to determine
species distribution and phenology. A thorough plant collection is essential
for a state such as Nebraska in which vegetation is so critical.
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Zoology
The Zoology Division has approximately 400,000 specimens. The collections have
also been used by scientists in studying ranges and phenology of animals. This
division is not highly ranked nationally, has had limited extramural funding
and does not currently have appropriate facilities for optimal storage of collections.
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Anthropology
The Division of Anthropology has important collections from the Great Plains,
Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Amazon Basin. It serves as the repository
for some federal collections. Major repatriations to Native American groups
have been recently accomplished. This division is not highly ranked and has
limited extramural funding.
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Rationale: Museum Studies
The Museum Studies program has identifiable strengths. The program recently received
a favorable Academic Program Review report. It is a medium sized masters program,
with relatively stable enrollments. It has a good placement rate for graduates
of the program. It has ties to over 20 museums and historical societies throughout
Nebraska. These institutions and others throughout the United States depend on
the program to provide trained museum professionals.
Alongside these strengths, the program has some weaknesses that make it a potential
area for elimination. The program has lacked an associated tenure-line core faculty
to give it identity, oversight, and a stable foundation; there are no tenure-line
FTE assigned to the program. Because it has been chronically underfunded as well,
most of the program’s curriculum is offered by adjunct or courtesy faculty
members, including managerial/professional employees. The program serves few
students who are not Museum Studies majors or minors. Elimination of the program
would have an effect on the relatively small number of graduate students in the
program and would have no direct effect on tenure-line faculty.
II. Eliminate the Bureau of Business Research
($455,310; 6.33 FTE including one administrator and 5.33 managerial/professional positions)
Proposal:
Elimination of all activities and personnel associated with the Bureau of Business
Research. Individuals funded by state-aided monies and those funded through revolving
accounts will be eliminated. This will included the following positions:
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Tenured Faculty Member in Economics (retiring) |
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three full-time state-funded positions (filled) |
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one part-time state-funded position (filled) |
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one part-time state-funded position (unfilled) |
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one part-time non-state-funded position (filled) |
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one full-time state-funded position (filled) |
Program Description:
The Bureau of Business Research dates from the founding of the College
of Business Administration. The Regents' biennial report to the
Governor in 1918 recommended the creation of a bureau of business research.
Until the Bureau was formally created in 1927, its role was handled
by the College's Committee on Business Research. The two-fold
mission of the Bureau was to develop a body of information based on
factors affecting business management that put business on a more scientific
basis and to develop information on business problems to enrich business
courses. That mission has continued for 75 years through the publication
of business reports (Business in Nebraska), construction and maintenance
of business databases (NU ONRAMP and the K-12 District Database), dissemination
of survey and forecast information (Nebraska Business Conditions Survey
and advisor to the Revenue Forecasting Board), contract research to
businesses and government and serving as an outreach arm for CBA through
the many presentations to organizations and press releases to the print
media.
Impact:
The Bureau is an applied research program with a solid reputation for
providing credible and timely information to the business community and
state and local governments. The elimination of the Bureau will leave
a large void in the collection and dissemination of statewide economic
data. The Bureau has also employed a number of graduate and undergraduate
students as research assistants on contract projects. Such valuable learning
opportunities will be a loss to the research experience we seek for our
graduates. In addition, a number of faculty members have gained valuable
real-word knowledge by working on contract projects arranged by the Bureau.
Those experiences enrich the classroom discourse.
Transition Plan:
The current proposal calls for the elimination of the Bureau at the end
of the 2002-03 fiscal year. No long-term studies are currently under
contract with the Bureau hence no outstanding commitments will remain.
Existing databases and publications will be offered to other centers
within the NU system, the state college system and to state government
units for continued maintenance and publication. If these units do not
have the resources, they will be offered to the business college at Creighton
University. Paid subscribers to Bureau publications will be reimbursed
in the event the publications do not continue.
Rationale:
The Bureau has been a long-standing fixture with the College providing
valuable economic information for over 75 years. It is, however, the
only program in CBA with no direct ties to the instructional mission
of the college. Given the relatively large enrollments in CBA and the
recent growth in enrollments, it is imperative to protect the instructional
programs within the college.
III. Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
($213,959 -- 3.43 state-funded FTE; 4.72 FTE with all funding sources combined)
The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum (NSA) is a non-profit, tax-exempt membership
organization with an Executive Board and a director and staff who are university
employees. NSA is a designated administrative unit within the Institute of Agriculture
and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Being
a designated entity within the Institute provides for interaction with related
activities in academic units as NSA works in cooperation with other entities
external to the university. Eliminating state funding for the NSA will provide
$213,959 of state funding dollars toward the budget cut required of IANR. Eliminating
this funding means the elimination of 3.43 FTE state-funded positions. Overall,
4.72 FTE are affected because most positions are funded through a combination
of state and non-state funds.
This action eliminates state support to a program unique to Nebraska, a horticultural outreach program with endeavors and initiatives in education, the arts, community development and the environment. The NSA encompasses four program areas: Affiliate Sites; Community Landscape; Horticulture; and Conservation programs. This reduction will affect the NSA's statewide network of public gardens, funding and technical assistance to community parks, the expansion of trees, shrubs and other plant materials, and efforts to conserve rare and endangered plants.
Because NSA is a program unique to the state that offers valuable services
for Nebraskans and Nebraska communities, IANR tried to preserve as much of
the NSA as possible through three rounds of budget cuts. Faced with nothing
but increasingly bad choices in the fourth round of significant budget cuts,
IANR and UNL must choose to protect what the Legislature and the Board of Regents
have established as the university's first priority -- academic programs core
to undergraduate teaching. NSA has minimal integration into the undergraduate
academic program and research and extension education functions of IANR. The
Board and staff of NSA will pursue options to find non-state funding for the
program to replace the loss of state funds. The Institute will continue to
provide NSA the in-kind support it has provided, such as office space.
IV. Nebraska Forest Service
($837,333; 11.41 state-funded FTE; 24.81 FTE with all funding sources combined)
Eliminating state funding for the Nebraska Forest Service (NFS) provides $837,333
toward UNL's
state funding budget cut, and eliminates 11.41 state-funded FTE. Most NFS positions
are funded by a combination of state and non-state funds, resulting in an additional
loss of 13.4 FTE, for a 24.81 FTE total. Because state funds matched federal
funds, federal funds will be lost unless another source of match can be found.
Two faculty in the Nebraska Forest Service are tenured in the School of Natural
Resources; they will be reassigned within that academic unit. One, the Nebraska
State Forester, will retain that title. Ten filled faculty-equivalent positions
(i.e. faculty-equivalent appointments that are neither tenured nor tenure-track)
are among the affected FTE. Eliminating NFS state funding impacts these programs
valuable to Nebraska and available nowhere else in the state: 1) Rural Forestry
Assistance; 2) Community Forestry Program; 3) Fire Control Section, with its
wildfire suppression training, equipment, pre-suppression planning, wildfire
prevention, fire danger rating, and aerial fire suppression; 4) Forest Pest
Management; and 5) Nebraska Conservation Tree Program.
Through three rounds of budget cutting the Institute of Agriculture and Natural
Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln did all it could to preserve
as much as possible of NFS programs, because of their value to the state. Significant
cuts in round four leave IANR and UNL no choice but to protect the university's first priority as designated by the Legislature and Board of Regents -- academic programs core to undergraduate teaching. The NFS has minimal integration into the undergraduate academic program and research and extension education functions of IANR. Every effort will be made to work with state government and interested constituents to find alternative ways to deliver at least some of the Nebraska Forest Service's
significant services to Nebraska.
V. Eliminate the Dual Career Program
($119,100; .5FTE managerial/ professional)
Eliminate entire program, including funding for faculty fellowships and for the half-time coordinator position. The coordinator works with newly hired tenure/tenure track faculty and those the University is trying to recruit to find career opportunities for spouses and partners in the community or the university; this position would be terminated. The fellowship program, which provides a one-time temporary position at the university for qualified spouses or partners, would be eliminated. An average of approximately 45 clients per year would no longer have this service available. Hiring units will need to work actively to assist trailing spouses and partners in finding employment opportunities in Nebraska.
VI. Eliminate Classroom Equipment Funds
($540,000)
Eliminate the instructional equipment fund in the senior vice chancellor's
office. This fund has been distributed annually to colleges for the purchase
of instructional equipment. This equipment is on a three- to five-year replacement
cycle; this cut will lengthen the replacement cycle. Some of this fund may
be replenished through grants, private support or other funds as possible.
VII. Reduce the Honors Student Book Scholarship Fund
($450,000 cost savings through Honors Textbook Scholarship Policy Changes)
Reduce subsidy to Honors Book Scholarship. Since the 1995-96 academic year,
students entering the University Honors Program have benefited from a textbook
scholarship
that allows them to charge all their required textbooks to a special scholarship
account. This scholarship has been a significant factor in the Honors Program's
ability to recruit the most outstanding students in Nebraska's high schools,
and more generally in the growth and development of the Honors Program. Students
who meet the program requirements, including maintenance of a 3.5 cumulative
grade-point average, are eligible for up to four years of scholarship support.
During the 2003-04 academic year more than 1,300 Honors Program students will
be eligible to receive this benefit. A careful review of the costs of this
program identified ways to reduce the budget for this scholarship program.
Beginning
in 2003-04 all scholarship recipients will be required to return their textbooks
at the end of each semester, with the buy-back credit being credited to Honors;
used textbooks will be issued where appropriate. By implementing these policy
changes, UNL will be able to reduce expenditures by approximately $450,000,
while still offering Honors students the guarantee that their book scholarship
will
pay for all of their books, consistent with the terms and conditions communicated
to students at the time they received and accepted the textbook scholarship
offer.
VIII. Reduce Funding for Activities and Offices of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
($750,000, 13.25 FTE)
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University Health Center
Withdraw all state-aided support for student counseling at the University Health
Center. Increase student fees ($3/stu/sem) for all enrolled students and effect
operating reductions of $167,943.
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Nebraska Unions
Remove $63,000 of state-aided support for custodial and facilities maintenance
expenses. Shift student fee income to cover the cut; eliminate 1.0 FTE staff
position and 0.49 FTE graduate assistant positions in Student Involvement and
reduce operating expenditures.
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Career Services
Eliminate Office/Service support position for credentials management services,
consolidate business operations with the Nebraska Unions, and move annual placement
report to web.
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Registration & Records
Eliminate two Office/Service positions and a 0.49 FTE graduate assistant position.
Requires policy changes that will permit more efficient processing of "Incomplete" grades,
greater reliance on the automated degree audit system for tracking admission
deficiencies, and streamlining of grade processing.
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Admissions Office
Eliminates the positions of Associate Director for International Recruitment,
Transfer Credit Coordinator, and Texas-based Admissions Representative (0.5 FTE)
and reassigns responsibilities to other staff members. Travel expenses are reduced,
particularly as related to international recruitment efforts. Additional budget
reductions are to be achieved through administrative reassignments and process
changes that are not yet final.
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Scholarships and Financial Aid
A currently vacant processing position will be eliminated, and the workload will
be covered by reassigning the two front desk workers and the two telephone
service providers from 8:00 to 10:00 each morning. This will mean that staff
provided services to students will be unavailable during that time period.
Additional efforts will be made to reduce operating expenses by relying on
e-mail and web-based processing rather than mailings.
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Multicultural Affairs
Reduce the state-aided budget by shifting 0.75 FTE of a senior staff member to
grant support.
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IX. Reduce Support for the Marching Band
($184,000)
The effect of this reduction may either require the reduction of the size of
the band or a reduction or elimination of scholarships for band members. The
resources being withdrawn have been provided by the Chancellor's Office. The
band is jointly funded by the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts
and the Athletics Department and these two units will determine how this reduction
will be implemented.
X. Veterinary Student Contract Program
($1,799,915, no FTE involved)
Terminating the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's (UNL) current contract with
Kansas State University (KSU) for Veterinary Medical Education provides state
funding of $1,799,915 to apply toward UNL's budget cut. This educational aid
program, part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources budget, pays
the contractual fee for 100 Nebraska residents pursuing a professional program
at KSU's four-year veterinary education program. In the mid-1980s, UNL and KSU
initiated the first cooperative agreement that, in its current form, guarantees
an average of 25 Nebraska residents per class per year a place at KSU. Depending
on the severity of the final cut, UNL hopes to continue to pay KSU for the students
currently in the program, so they can complete their D.V.M. training as the current
contractual program is phased out.
The cooperative veterinary student contract program evolved as an alternative
to Nebraska instituting its own College of Veterinary Medicine. The contractual
fee payment to KSU for 100 students has essentially paid the difference between
in-state and out-of-state tuition for the students, in the hope they will return
to Nebraska to practice veterinary medicine, so important to Nebraska's large
livestock industry. Nebraskans still will be able to attend the KSU College
of Veterinary Medicine or any other college of veterinary medicine as at-large
students.
Efforts will be made to identify existing financial aid opportunities for students
interested in pursuing this course of study in the future.
The contract program involves the rotation of KSU veterinary medicine students
through the Great Plains Veterinary Education Center (GPVEC) at the U.S. Meat
Animal Research Center at Clay Center. GPVEC will remain open and viable. Discussions
will ensue with KSU officials regarding the GPVEC's future role in the KSU College
of Veterinary Medicine program. There will be discussions, too, on whether KSU
might still consider identifying some slots for Nebraska students. Other discussions
are exploring how GPVEC can assume a more prominent role in Nebraska's extension
veterinary education following the closure of satellite veterinary diagnostic
laboratories in Scottsbluff and North Platte in rounds two and three of the budget
cuts.
The contract with KSU provided that the obligations of both KSU and UNL "shall at all times be contingent upon the appropriation by the Legislatures of both Kansas and Nebraska of sufficient funds to enable each institution to comply with the terms of this Agreement." Budget
cuts required in round four of budget cutting bring the choice for UNL to this:
Continue to subsidize funding for 100 Nebraska residents pursuing a professional
program at KSU, or eliminate an academic department in the College of Agricultural
Sciences and Natural Resources.
XI. Division of Business & Finance
($1,073,778; 19.25 FTE)
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Vice Chancellor
Eliminate the Associate Vice Chancellor (AVC) position and shift some of
the job responsibilities to Vice Chancellor and Assistant Vice Chancellors.
With the elimination of an Associate Vice Chancellor on UNL's campus, NU's
Legal Counsel and UNL have agreed to mutually fund one current position
within the Legal Counsel's office. Through this agreement, Central
Administration will save approximately $51,000 and will reduce its staffing
by 0.50 FTE and UNL will save approximately $106,000 and reduce its
staffing by 1.0 FTE
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Facilities Management
Eliminates state support for custodial services to the Alumni Association
and shifts funding support for this service to the Alumni Association.
Shift Alumni Association utilities cost to the Alumni Association.
Eliminates state support for custodial services to the Lied Center and
shifts funding support for this service to the Lied Center.
Eliminate all campus recycling except for environmentally regulated programs.
Defer building maintenance on minor repairs including furniture, ceilings,
walls, and other low priority requests.
Eliminate the Manager of Education Programs position which is responsible
for educational programs associated with UNL's Botanical Garden & Arboretum.
Eliminate state-supported landscape services surrounding auxiliary buildings.
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Fiscal Affairs
Eliminate use of VISA and implement a 2.25% convenience fee to use Master
Charge, Discover, and American Express to pay student bills. (Visa does
not permit imposition of an ad valorum convenience fee.)
Eliminate position following implementation of lockbox operation in Spring
2003. This may create longer lines at Bursar's Office for individuals who
wish to pay their bills in person versus utilize the automated processes
(lockbox or web payment.)
Reduce staffing provided by students (student wages) due to increased use
of purchasing card.
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Purchasing
Reduce staffing provided by students (student wages) due to increased use
of purchasing card.
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Human Resources
Reduces staffing provided by students (student wages) during Benefits Open
Enrollment and eliminate all student help in HR.
Combine two campus events, the "State of the University" and “Service
Award” programs, into a single program.
The Benefits Office will now require employee “self-service” for
benefit signups and changes. This change requires software upgrade from
the ASG team to implement and will require 1/2 year of temporary funding
in FY 2004.
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Environmental Health & Safety
Redesign UNL's worker compensation assessment system for campus units so
that units with higher worker compensation claims will pay higher workers
compensation rates. Include funding for these positions in the rate structure.
Transfer funding of the BioSafety Officer position to Indirect Cost F&A
reimbursement. The BioSafety Officer exists to support research programs. |
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