The Art of Budget Cutting - Charlie Nelms, Huffington Post

During my last chancellorship, at North Carolina Central University, because of reductions in state appropriations, we reduced the university's budget by more than $50 million over a five year period. In addition, there were double digit tuition and fee increases several of those years. Budget cuts combined with tuition and fee increases, wreaked havoc on students and their families, more than two thirds of whom relied on financial aid to attend the university. In fact, the median income for a family of four for NCCU students was approximately $22,000 while the average level of loan of indebtedness for 2011 graduates was more than $25,000. Recognizing that reducing the university's budget is an art and not a science, as Chancellor I always took the position that my role was to work with members of the executive leadership team to define and articulate the parameters by which we would adjust the university's budget. Maintaining student academic success was always at the top of my priority list. A second priority was to make sure the university met all accreditation and fiscal compliance requirements. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charlie-nelms-edd/the-art-of-budget-cutting_b_4959477.html