RSS
Facebook
Dear members of the university community:
It has been a remarkable year for our university. Not only did we work through one of the toughest financial challenges in FIU’s history, we did so while achieving noteworthy successes that take us ever-closer to our goal of joining the top ranks of public research universities in the United States. Thanks to all who participated in those efforts.
I’d like to offer a brief update on the university’s financial situation and provide a preview of the first quarter of 2009.
Planning pays off
A special legislative session has been called for January 5-16, 2009, to address the estimated additional $2 billion-plus shortfall in the state’s current fiscal budget. Depending upon the level of cuts approved statewide by the Legislature, I am hopeful we will be able to manage the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, without making further budget cuts. This is validating news for everyone and directly related to the thoughtful, proactive budget process the entire university participated in earlier this year. You may not be aware, but FIU’s handling of the budget cuts was held up for the other State University System institutions as a model of the process by which strategic budget cuts should be made.
The Executive Committee met last week and determined that the university’s strategic planning and forecasting process should be extended to five years rather than three. The expanded plan is necessary because it appears it will be 2011 before our budget situation stabilizes. In the meantime, we will be prudent in planning for every potential scenario knowing there are some we simply can’t foresee.
When we begin our budget-planning cycle in January, we will be governed by the same strategic imperatives that guided our decisions last year. We must:
* survive the current economic downturn without doing any permanent strategic damage to the university;
* roll out our life sciences initiative successfully;
* continue to improve the quality of undergraduate education thereby increasing graduation and retention rates;
* continue making progress in our goal of becoming a top 15 public, urban, research university by 2015;
* galvanize the student-life experience, energize student spirit, and invigorate alumni excitement; and
* restructure our advancement operation in preparation for a major capital campaign.
The impending budget cycle will retain all of the elements that garnered praise in the last budget cycle – frequent, open communication with all areas of the university community; multiple opportunities for everyone’s voice to be heard; and a continued commitment to ensure the strengthening and continued relevancy of one of the country’s largest public research institutions.
Sharing the burden
No one is immune from the pain of this recession. Our students stand alongside us in shouldering the burden. I am profoundly grateful for their support in absorbing tuition increases that are absolutely necessary to the survival of our university as we know it. I don’t minimize the burden placed upon our students in finding a way to pay for past or proposed tuition increases, but that burden is far lighter than the one they will be asked to share if we are forced to make larger, more massive cuts to our program offerings and services because we are denied future opportunities to raise tuition competitively with our counterparts across the country.
It is worth noting that any cuts FIU may be forced to make in the next fiscal year will likely be significantly greater if the paced tuition-increase plan introduced recently by Gov. Charlie Crist is rejected or weakened by the Legislature in the spring. As I mentioned in a recent communication, Florida has one of the two-lowest tuition rates in the country while our state support for higher education is, at best, average. Yet our future as a state depends upon our ability to deliver quality higher education.
With the assistance of our Governmental Relations team and all of you, we will monitor developments closely, adjusting our own strategy as necessary. Also next month, the Executive Committee will hold another strategic budget meeting, and I will convene a meeting of the 300 senior FIU administrators to restart our dialogue about what is best for our university.
Just like last year, I intend to send out weekly budget communiqués keeping you abreast of the latest, most pertinent information regarding FIU’s financial situation. I will begin those weekly messages in January.
Amid the gloom, hope for our future
The FIU community continues to show strength, resilience and vision. We continue to educate thousands of young men and women who graduate from FIU thoughtful, engaged leaders ready to contribute to their local, national and global communities. And we will continue to focus collectively on the fundamental mission of FIU – providing meaningful educational opportunity and access to the people of our community and beyond.
Nancy and I wish you all the very best for the holiday season. May 2009 be filled with joy, good health and peace for all.
Our most impactful research: