Meehan Discusses State’s 9C Cuts

Chancellor Meehan addresses University community regarding budget cuts.

Chancellor Marty Meehan and senior administrators explained UMass Lowell’s strategy for implementing state budget cuts and welcomed questions at an open meeting in Cumnock Hall on Nov. 6.  About 500 faculty, staff and students attended, and another 200 watched on-line.

Meehan commended all for making “incredible progress” over the last 15 months, and said the campus needs to continue the momentum. A strategic planning initiative, “UMass Lowell 2020,” is under way, and decisions will be made in implementing the $4 million in annualized budget cuts necessitated by the state’s 9C budget cuts. He said the campus has a right to expect transparency and decisions that are made with integrity and based on merit.

“Across-the-board cuts are a cop out for making strategic decisions,” he said. “I feel passionately that we have to provide the highest quality education possible.” He also said the campus would need to be entrepreneurial and continue to grow enrollment and revenue. Activities and jobs that support those goals would not face cutbacks, and may even be given additional resources.

He said the senior administration had been working diligently the last two or three weeks, engaging the academic side and engaging the unions. “None of us wants any of these cuts. We’re in a position where we have no choice.”

He said there would be layoffs, as outlined in previous campus communications. He also said those decisions would be difficult and would be an ongoing process. “We’re going to look at a lot of great programs that aren’t directly related to our core mission of teaching and research. It’s really all about the quality of education for our students.”

Joanne Yestramski, vice chancellor for Administration, Finance, Facilities and Technology, outlined four areas where cuts would be made: workforce management, including delaying or not filling vacant positions, a general reorganization of departments that deliver services, and layoffs; outreach and partnerships; IT equipment and furniture savings; and general operating funds, including improvement of energy efficiency and non-strategic delayed spending.

Meehan said one area that would not be cut is campus and lab improvements students were seeking as a result of the recent college fee increases.

Provost Ahmed Abdelal said he has been meeting weekly with the deans. He said input into decisions would include the deans and department chairs, and, in some cases, by engaging a department’s faculty. He said areas that would not be cut are those that help ensure student success. “When we are recruiting students, it doesn’t make sense to compromise that effort,” said Abdelal. He said we also want to increase retention and graduation rates, which help UMass Lowell secure a more advanced position regionally and nationally.  “We need to increase our research capability and research funding from all sources – federal, state and corporate.”

In service, he said we are engaged in many important activities. “We are asking: ‘Is it part of our core mission?’ ‘Is it something that can be self-supported?’ These are difficult decisions; we are not doing anything that is not worthy.”

Executive Vice Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney said that a strategic planning process would kick off in January. Committees now being formed will be looking into how the campus can realign and reallocate resources.

Chief Public Affairs Officer Patti McCafferty said campus communication vehicles would be used to inform all about the budget-cutting process on a bi-weekly basis. “We want it to be open, we want it be inclusive,” she said. She encouraged e-mail input addressed to budget@uml.edu.  She said a reorganization plan and more specifics about the cuts would be announced Dec. 1.

- Renae_Lias