Cohodas
Project Not Funded
Legislative
decisions in Lansing are making it possible for Northern's administration
to move forward with budget planning for fiscal year 2006.
“We
were able to confirm Monday that the Cohodas renovation project
will not be among those that receive capital outlay funding this
cycle, but we hope it's considered in one of the two remaining cycles
– one for '05 and one for '06,” said NMU President Les
Wong of the $14 million
priority project. “Now that we know the impact of the executive
order and that we don’t need to provide match money for an immediate
capital outlay project, we have a little more information we can
take into our next level of budget planning for the upcoming year.”
A
university forum to discuss the NMU budget, possible tuition and
fee scenarios and the summer construction timeline has been scheduled
from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, in the University Center.
Northern
was one of five Michigan universities that did not have capital
outlay projects approved. The others were Eastern, Oakland, U-M
Dearborn and Lake Superior State. LSSU, however, did receive $160,000
in one-time supplemental funding.
The
capital outlay package is part of the FY2005 budget agreement Gov.
Jennifer Granholm reached last week with the legislature. The deal
also includes an executive order to cut nearly $30 million in higher
education appropriations – $803,000 from NMU – with the caveat that
universities and community colleges would be first in line to have
their funding restored if increased tax revenue is generated between
now and the end of the state's fiscal year Sept. 30. Should the
struggling economy not recover, higher education's cut would represent
one of the largest reductions in the plan to close the budget deficit
for FY2005.
Granholm
also agreed to drop tuition-restraint language from the FY2006 budget.
Universities will not be required to hold increases for the next
academic year to 5 percent or less, but Granholm said those that
boost tuition above inflation would have to increase financial aid
by a proportionate amount.
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