March 29, 2012
A message to ULM faculty and staff from ULM President Nick J. Bruno
Dear Colleagues,
I want to provide you an update on fiscal matters as they apply to our university. First, following is a link to the governor’s most recent Executive Order which freezes spending. This is similar to the freeze instituted last year.
We will certainly comply with the order; however, we are allowed to continue to spend for critical areas such as our clinics, and operating services. Dr. Pani has notified the deans and other academic heads of this action and we will begin to identify those allowable expenditures.
Executive Order No. BJ 2012-3: "Executive Branch - Expenditure Freeze", has been issued.
Second, our current proposed budget for the year beginning July 1, 2012 indicates a reduction of approximately $2 million from our current funding will be experienced, with an additional increase in mandated costs of approximately $500 thousand.
Of course we will not know our exact budget until the legislative session ends in June, so these preliminary numbers could change. This also assumes that our current student population remains constant. Preliminary information from admissions is that both applications and admissions for fall 2012 are up. As our enrollment grows, such reductions will be minimized.
Dr. Pani has met with the deans regarding the budget, and I assure you plans will allow for input from all areas of our campus. I am not a proponent of across the board reductions. Therefore, reduction will be made consistent to the state’s funding formula will be utilized as much as possible.
Unfortunately, I cannot provide you more information on another matter that is of interest to us all. That is the retirement legislation. There are many questions surrounding the proposed legislation that I am sure will be asked as these bills are heard. However, all are in agreement that to preserve the integrity of our retirement systems, some changes will probably be considered.
As further developments in these areas take place, I will keep you apprised. Thank you for your continued commitment to ULM.
Sincerely,
Nick J. Bruno, Ph.D.
President