UMass operating on tight budget margin - Colin A. Young, Lowell Sun

The five campuses of the University of Massachusetts finished fiscal year 2016 on target with its projected 0.2 percent operating margin, university administrators told trustees Wednesday, though a trustee expressed worry that such a narrow margin could "come back to haunt" UMass. "Once again we managed to stay with budget in FY16 and the financial position is stable in light of the continued revenue constraints," UMass Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Christine Wilda told the trustees' Administration and Finance Committee. "The significant investments being made through our capital plan and other quality needs across our campuses are paying off as evidenced by strong demand with continued increases in enrollment." The standard benchmark for a university operating margin -- which measures operating excess or deficit as a percentage of total revenues -- is 2 percent, Wilda said. She described UMass' 0.2 percent operating margin as "just north of break even." http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_30619029/umass-operating-tight-budget-margin