The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: News

Media Credit: BILL RICHARDS [Click to enlarge]

From Gamecocks to Gators, schools across the Southeast are facing a staggering budget crisis - but the rival Southeastern Conference schools remain united in their efforts to preserve the academic quality of the region's universities.

"Hopefully we're impacting faculty and students as little as possible," said Larry Sparks, vice chancellor for administration and finance at the University of Mississippi. "We want the cuts to be as painless and as invisible to the instructional mission of the university as is possible."

Ole Miss experienced two mid-year cuts in state appropriations in the last fiscal year - one of 2 percent and one of 3 percent, Sparks said in a phone interview last week.

However, university representatives acknowledge inevitable effects on students and faculty, despite efforts to reduce the impact of the budget crisis.

Some universities have even resorted to increases in tuition.

Auburn University implemented a 12 percent tuition increase, said Mike Clardy, a spokesperson for the university, in a telephone interview last week. Auburn lost almost $68 million in state appropriations last fiscal year, he said.

The University of Florida raised tuition by 15 percent in response to a $47 million budget cut, said Janine Sikes, spokesperson for the university, in a telephone interview last week. Sikes said UF hopes to continue to increase its comparatively low tuition by 15 percent each year until the university meets the national average tuition rate.

Other schools chose to implement hiring freezes, decrease travel expenses and defer spending on proposed building improvements.

"We've done a lot of belt tightening," Sikes said. "Certainly classes are a bit more crowded. Some classes were canceled, but not an extreme amount."

Crowded classes have been an especially daunting problem for the University of Alabama, said Kellee Reinhart, vice chancellor for UA system relations.

"Just like all the other states, the state of Alabama is facing a revenue short fall," Reinhart said in a telephone interview last week.

"However, the University of Alabama is also facing record growth in student enrollment and growth in national rankings."

Continued...

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