Northern Star Thursday, February 19, 2015
Volume 115, Issue 70
The Truth Shall Bear All Light
Cuts
Since 1899
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The Associated Press
Gov. Bruce Rauner delivers his budget proposal to a joint session of the General Assembly in the House chambers Wednesday in Springfield. Rauner’s proposal calls for a $387 million cut to higher education funding, which would amount to a $29.3 million cut in funding to NIU.
State funding to NIU
Kelly Bauer Editor in Chief T @BauerJournalism
DeKalb | Gov. Bruce Rauner’s
budget calls for state allocation to NIU to be cut by $29.3 million. NIU was allocated about $93 million for Fiscal Year 2015, but that would be cut to about $64 million under Rauner’s proposal. The $93 million represented about 22 percent of NIU’s $425 million in revenue in Fiscal Year 2015. The Democratic Legislature will now debate the budget. NIU will go before an appropriations committee in late March to explain how student success may be impacted by funding cuts, said Chief Financial Officer Alan Phillips. “We were expecting [a cut]. I don’t think people thought it would be this large to start with ...,” said NIU President Doug Baker. “But we do know it’s going to go into a many months-long deliberative process in the Legislature. We’ll just have to see where it ends up.” The state’s final budget and the
$110,000 million Fiscal Year 2005: $102,274.9
Proposed Fiscal Year 2016: $63,871
$55,000 million
Kelly Bauer | Northern Star
funding allocated to NIU “may has seen cuts since then. look quite different” from Rauner’s Baker said that due to the “short proposal, Phillips said. turnaround” of the proposed Fiscal Year 2016 budget, which would go Effects into effect July 1, NIU has to look at NIU has “tightened [its] belt,” how it can cut expenses. NIU will Baker said, in recent years due to examine spending on capital projfalling revenue and decreases in ects, travel expenses and other avstate allocation. NIU was allocated enues, he said. $107 million in Fiscal Year 2010 and Baker and Phillips said it’s not yet
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Rauner: Slash funding to NIU by $29.3 million known what projects would face cuts if NIU’s state funding falls, but those discussions will take place in the coming months. Potential layoffs would be contingent on budget deliberations in Springfield, Baker said. Faculty Senate President Bill Pitney said the budget could have a “huge impact” on faculty and staff. “I think budget cuts of that magnitude may mean — may is the operative word — may mean looking at furloughs, layoffs, etc.,” Pitney said. “I think our administration had kind of set us up to fair better than other institutions of higher ed., but I think a cut of that magnitude will be substantial, very limiting, very concerning.” What NIU wants Baker said NIU officials do not yet know what they would suggest in lieu of Rauner’s proposed cut when representatives go before the appropriations committee.
Read Budget | Page 2
Oscars
Key players Bruce Rauner Governor • Republican • Proposed cuts to higher ed. budget by more than $387 million, faces potential opposition from Democratic Legislature Mike Madigan House Speaker • Democrat • Said budget must be fixed through mix of service cuts and generation of revenue Doug Baker NIU President • Represents NIU in Springfield
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