Budget Suggestions
To the MU Community:
This is the time of year when I look back on the past 12 months and am in awe of the many accomplishments of our students, staff and faculty. Certainly 2008 is no exception. Consider the record number of students who chose this great university, the incredible effort of the faculty who taught them, and the monumental work of the staff who served them. MU is one of only 20 public universities in the country considered worthy of investment at the level of $1 billion by its alumni, foundations and corporations. Our research changes the lives of people throughout the world thanks to the 24/7 commitment of faculty and students in our laboratories, studios and other creative settings. A superb landscape services team makes this campus one of the most beautiful on earth whether it’s May or December. Our Staff for Life helicopter crew saves lives as part of their normal work day. And there is so much more.
So we face the coming months of economic uncertainty in a strong position. President Gary Forsee wrote to all of you today about the efforts taking place across the UM System to respond to a projected shortfall in the state’s budget for the current fiscal year 2009 and to significantly reduced state appropriations ranging between 15 percent and 25 percent in FY 2010. We have faced similar budget situations in the past but not of this potential magnitude. My staff and I are working closely with the President and the other General Officers of the UM System to provide the planning necessary to respond to the state’s financial crisis. On the campus, we continue to work - as we always do in our planning efforts - with the Deans and Department Chairs, Faculty Council, Staff Advisory Council, the Missouri Students Association, the Graduate Professional Council, and the Strategic Planning and Resource Advisory Council to prepare for these budget reductions. Our most recent planning effort in this regard was the need to generate resources for our priorities and resulted in Compete Missouri to achieve more competitive salaries.
I ask each of you to think in transformational ways about how we can stay true to our core mission and AAU quality, but still work more efficiently and better use our resources to meet our needs, support our goals, and fulfill our obligations as a state flagship and global university. Please send your ideas to me at the Chancellor’s Office, 105 Jesse Hall, or on our suggestions page. MU is known nationally for its culture of collaboration. It will be our greatest asset as we work together to maintain our commitment to quality and integrity as a vibrant land-grant university for all we serve.
The coming months offer us great challenges and opportunities to think about our work and our world in entirely new ways. Please take some time during these holidays to reflect on the tremendous contributions you have made to the University of Missouri and to know how grateful I am to each and everyone of you.
Brady J. Deaton
Chancellor