Largest college at BGSU told to prepare for cuts

BOWLING GREEN - Bowling Green State University's largest college is preparing for what is expected to be a difficult 2011 budget year.

The BGSU college of arts and sciences administration has notified its department chairmen and directors to prepare scenarios that cut 5 percent, 7.5 percent, and 10 percent from their budgets.

The exercise is to stimulate creative thinking and allow the college more time to adjust, said Julie Barnes, its associate dean for resources and planning.

"We decided to be proactive and asked people to think of possible budget cuts now before we are asked to do them," she said.

Up to $10 million in state cuts is expected for the university in 2011, BGSU chief financial officer Sheri Stoll said.

"We are expecting $5 to $10 million less for 2011 and we will be, and during this year, having to make our plans and decisions on how we will address and respond to that," she said.

BGSU's current budget is $298.4 million - $283.6 million for the main campus in Bowling Green and $14.8 million for its Firelands campus just south of Huron, Ohio.

The university has not directed colleges to begin planning for those cuts in any specific way, Ms. Stoll said, but they were told to start planning for potential cuts.

"If we don't have to make the full $10 million cut in 2011, we will in 2012, so we might as well plan for the worse and be prepared," Ms. Stoll said.

While some of the department heads in the arts and sciences college have been resistant to offer additional cuts to their programs, others appreciate the opportunity to offer their input, Ms. Barnes said. More than 30 department chairmen and directors are involved in the discussions.

The notice asks them to think about how they could perform with fewer faculty members, possibilities for sharing resources, and changes that would require less staffing.

"We're just trying to get people to think about this and give us some ideas," Ms. Barnes said. "We're trying to work through the consultative process now while we have time."