Without additional state funding, Southern Illinois University is bracing for another round of dramatic cuts – that may have to be enacted this summer.
Thursday marks the last day of Fiscal Year 2016 – and state lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner still don’t have a budget in place for this year or for next year.
Public universities received some stop-gap spending earlier this year. It prevented Chicago State University from closing, but didn’t stop CSU or other schools from making dramatic cuts. And President Dunn says that could be on the horizon for Southern, too.
“Not at the level, necessarily, that we were talking about back in February when we released those ‘Doomsday’ lists – if I can use that term. But clearly, there is going to have to be this second round of reductions to take place to allow us to get through until there is a permanent budget that is enacted.”
SIU President Randy Dunn says even with additional spending that could come through this week, without a formal, fully-funded budget, cuts must be made.
“The campus is going to have to come up with some significant level of savings. Those have to be of a nature that can be effectuated at the start of July and the start of the fiscal year, to give the campus enough breathing room to get us through the fall semester – again – not being sure what sort of stop-gap funding we may get.”
Dunn says he’s hesitant to put a specific amount or percentage on what will be needed, but says it may be larger than the $13.5 million cut earlier this year when the budget crisis was just beginning.
Stop-gap funding from the state this spring was enough to stave off so-called “doomsday” lists that the university released earlier this year, but Dunn says those lists – and other scenarios – are still being looked at in order to get SIU through the Fall Semester.
