Cuts to state funding for higher education may mean further reductions at SIU, as leaders scramble to make ends meet.SIU President Glenn Poshard says university trustees were given a plan last week for tuition and fees that was based on level state funding. But he says late word from Springfield indicates a budget cut is on the horizon and the school may also have to pick up some of the employee pension burden. Poshard says that'll mean another year of doing more with less in some areas: "We're down several hundred people right now from just not filling positions, and we may have to go deeper into that. That of course means what people will have to pick up a greater burden than they already pick up." Poshard says Trustees are considering a 4.8% increase in tuition for new students next year... as well as a variety of fee increases on both campuses. He says those hikes may not be enough to cover the difference if state funds are cut too dramatically.
Trustees will vote on the tuition and fee proposal at their meeting in May, lawmakers must have a budget in place by June 30.
