IPFW’s difficult choices - Sarah Janssen, The Journal Gazette

Half of the $8.4 million budget deficit IPFW faces is attributed to revenue lost from declining enrollment. The other half of the shortfall stems from what Chancellor Vicky Carwein calls “unfunded mandates.” The mandates are a host of items that the university is required to pay for but weren’t previously factored into the budget. In years past, it was practice to simply pay these expenditures at the end of the year with the cash IPFW had on hand. But with a nearly 4 percent dip in enrollment, the university no longer has the extra cash. “Really what we’ve been living off of is our enrollment growth,” said Walt Branson, vice chancellor for financial affairs. “As we’ve tightened our budget, we’re not going to have year-end cash.” http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130401/LOCAL04/304019944