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Draft Budget Plan for MU Calls for Cutting 328 Jobs

Francis Quadrangle on the MU campus
KBIA
Francis Quadrangle on the MU campus

A draft budget for MU's upcoming school year released late Friday night called for eliminating $40.6 million in recurring costs and $18.9 million in one-time costs, according to a memo from MU Interim Chancellor Garnett Stokes.


The proposal also eliminates 328 positions — 147 full-time positions that are now vacant and 181 full-time positions that are currently filled.

Those filled positions include 43 retirements, 38 people who will not have their contracts renewed, 84 people who would be laid off and 16 "voluntary separations," according to Stokes' letter.

 
 
"Facilities have been taken offline, expenses have been deferred, and contracts have not been renewed," the letter reads. "However, ultimately, the university is primarily a human institution: 80 percent of our costs are in personnel. There is simply no way to meet the requirements without reducing jobs."

Earlier this week, Stokes said in an email MU might cut as many as 400 positions.

In the letter, Stokes said the elimination of almost $60 million from the budget would "unquestionably" affect the university.

"This amount is equivalent to the entire general-funds budgets of the IT infrastructure for the whole campus, the Trulaske College of Business, the College of Engineering and the Sinclair School of Nursing combined," the letter reads. "The proposed plan will unquestionably impact our workforce, facilities and the breadth of services we provide."

The three other UM System members submitted budget drafts for fiscal year 2018 as well. UMKC must eliminate $10.6 million, while Missouri S&T is looking at $8.8 million in cuts mainly coming from the elimination of 36 vacant positions and 8 retirements. UMSL, which went through budget reductions prior to recent state cuts, plans to reduce fiscal year 2018 expenses by 2.5 percent.

 
In an email announcing the release of the budget plans for the four campuses, UM System President Mun Choi said he would review the proposals over the next two weeks with administrators. 

"Ultimately, our collective plan must reflect how we can transform our university as well as strengthen our teaching, research, economic development and outreach mission," he said in the email.

The budget planning process is expected to be completed by early June.