Weekly Briefing: Another flagship to see deep budget cuts

The University of Connecticut has a plan. Not everyone is pleased. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. How the U. of Connecticut wants to combat state budget cuts The University of Connecticut needs to drastically cut its budget. The institution is facing a projected $70-million budget deficit in 2025, as the state reduces its funding allocation. Administrators have proposed slimming down the operating budget for all units — schools, colleges, administration, and institutional support — by 15 percent in the next five years. The University of Connecticut has several campuses, but most of its operations are concentrated at the flagship in Storrs. Leaders told faculty members that they are aware of and concerned about the effects of the cuts, but the proposed plan is still in motion. Faculty members’ frustration has reached a fever pitch. Last month the faculty union held a [protest and signed an open letter]( to express their opposition to the proposal. They told The Chronicle that they feel the 15-percent plan was generated without adequate transparency or consultation. For some, the proposed budget cuts brought to mind West Virginia University’s [extensive financial cuts]( last year, including 10 undergraduate and 18 graduate programs, to tackle a $45-million budget deficit. WVU also eliminated 143 faculty positions. Bradley Simpson, an associate professor and director of the graduate program in UConn’s history department, made a distinction between the West Virginia and Connecticut cuts, saying that at UConn, reductions would be across the board and equal. But West Virginia focused its cuts on the humanities and social sciences. At a [town hall]( last week, Connecticut’s provost, Anne D’Alleva, noted that other campuses were also facing budget woes, such as [Pennsylvania State University]( and the [City University of New York](. Then there’s the [University of Arizona]( which announced cuts of up to 15 percent across the board as officials try to decrease overspending and errant financial projections. While UConn’s approach may differ from some of its peers, the story of how the institution got here echoes something you may have heard: diminishing federal [Covid-19 relief funding](. Since 2020, the Connecticut state government has used one-time funding to give more to public colleges. But that bucket is getting smaller; it will drop to $47.3 million in 2025 and disappear by fiscal year 2026. The state, projected to be $30 million over its spending cap in fiscal year 2025, said it will not backfill the gap. Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, told Connecticut public-college leaders to brace for cuts in the 2023-25 state budget. Higher-ed leaders fought back. In the end, public colleges negotiated a one-time infusion from the state for the 2024 fiscal year. Now 2025 is approaching and colleges have to get ready. [Read more about how the institution is preparing for the reduced state budget and reactions on campus, from our Sonel Cutler](. ADVERTISEMENT NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. Lagniappe - Learn. It’s winter. It’s the start of the spring semester. [It’s burrito season]( seriously. (Business Insider) - Read. When you’re in the thick of winter, do you wish you could wear shorts forever? [Here’s a poem]( Les Murray about just that. (Best Poems) - Listen. 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