Handling Budget Cuts

A. When your dean has told all the chairs in the college to cut their budgets by 10 percent, how do you go back to your faculty and tell them that now they have to operate with even less? Part of your job as chair is to make your dean and other administrators look good even when the news is bad (and even if you may not feel they are making the right decision). On matters of budget, there are some strategies that can help.

• Begin by giving your faculty the broader context. Refer to the recession and perhaps bring an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education to remind them that other universities are making cuts.
• Assure them that the 10 percent cuts are across the campus (if this is true). They need to hear that every department, including athletics, academics, student life, and administrative offices, is being asked to make cuts.
• Discuss different ways to approach the situation. Either cut every line item by 10 percent or evaluate which line items can’t take the hit and which ones could be cut more than 10 percent. The end result is your total budget is 10 percent less. Ask for their input and listen carefully. When faculty are able to give input, they are more likely to accept the final decision, even when it is painful.
• Finally, make the decision and communicate it to all department members. Once communicated, engage your faculty in planning for a more positive future. Are there ways your department can raise its own funds? For example, are there donors who could contribute to specific projects (student travel, research equipment, faculty professional development) to offset the cuts for the present year? Does your department have a fundraising plan to build up restricted funds for future use? In today’s economy many academic units are being asked to raise part of their operating costs. Building a reserve will help see departments through tough times.

—Kina Mallard is provost and vice president for academic affairs at Carson-Newman College.