Despite enrollment dip, UMSL administrators are optimistic about balancing the budget - Ashley Jost, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Credit hours are down 5 percent this fall, which UMSL’s chief financial officer Richard Baniak calls a more accurate enrollment indicator for the commuter campus than a head count. That’s 2 percent more than the campus anticipated. The actual head count is down, too, by 3.5 percent. Incoming freshman enrollment has dropped 14 percent from a year ago. But Baniak is convinced the story right now at UMSL is one of growth. This year, the grim picture painted by administrators anticipated ending fiscal year 2016 with a $9 million deficit. Instead, come June 30, the campus was in the red by $2 million. Looking toward fiscal year 2017, leaders projected a $15 million deficit. Two months into the year, Baniak said they now project it to be $4 million. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/despite-enrollment-dip-umsl-administrators-are-optimistic-about-balancing-the/article_00c816d2-ed2e-5a70-b2cd-b23676dc2c7e.html