Sunday, February 22, 2015

U Montana could face $2.3M to $10M budget shortfall in 2016 - Keila Szpaller, Missoulian

A budget subcommittee on Thursday approved 3 percent budget increases for the Montana University System in each of the next two years. The University of Montana could face a $2.3 million budget shortfall in the 2016 fiscal year if enrollment dips as projected, according to a UM official. If the university wants to fund new proposals, the shortage jumps to an estimated $10 million, UM vice president of administration and finance Michael Reid said Friday. The "very, very preliminary" figures are based on enrollment, which becomes more definitive in March. "(But) we want to be ahead of the curve and be conservative and start planning," Reid said. Multiple variables are still up in the air, he said. Those include actual enrollment this year and next, as well as outcomes in the Montana Legislature. http://missoulian.com/news/local/um-could-face-m-to-m-budget-shortfall-in/article_ac425d0a-d4d5-5a68-b3b6-6bc9cf356db6.html