While students spent winter break adorning trees with baubles and tinsel, administrators trimmed the University's money tree by $8.1 million, continuing a pattern of the University being seared with midyear budget cuts since January 2009.
Administrators have cut funding for 60 University positions, 40 of which were vacant positions the University eliminated. The other 20 positions will now be funded by athletics budgets or private source funding. Chancellor Michael Martin and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Jack Hamilton divided the cut between academic and non-academic units. Academic units took a $2.5 million cut each, and non-academic units took a $3.2 million cut. Non-academic units are comprised mostly of Facility Services but also include advising and support areas. Even after this cut stretches through the University, there is a dangling chance that this semester's financial setbacks are not over.
