BUDGET BEFORE SEMO REGENTS

The Board of Regents expects to vote Friday on a $63.5 million operating budget for fiscal 1998 that includes pay raises of 4 to 4.5 percent for Southeast Missouri State University employees.

About 64 percent of the budget or $43.5 million is earmarked for salaries and benefits. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

All of the pay raises are merit based, said Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast.

"Some will get more, some will get less," he said.

Southeast has nearly 1,000 employees.

The pool of money set aside for pay raises varies by employee group. Clerical, technical and service workers as a group would see raises of 4.5 percent, while faculty, professional and administrative staff, and the executive staff would receive 4 percent raises.

The university also has some employees, such as custodians and power plant workers, who are represented by labor unions.

Pay hikes for those workers will be worked out in consultation with the bargaining units, Wallhausen said. Those pay raises typically are the same as those given the professional and administrative staff, he said.

The university's Budget Review Committee spent months drawing up the budget. Its members include faculty, staff and students.

The regents will meet at 1 p.m. Friday in the University Center Ballroom. Much of the agenda will focus on budget matters, including auxiliary operations and capital projects.

Don Dickerson, president of the Board of Regents, said Wednesday he was pleased with the budget.

"I was just glad to see the budget come up this time where the raises could be at that level," he said.

Southeast's faculty and staff have had to adjust to three different presidents in the last three years, Dickerson said.

The university adopted a merit pay system several years ago. Dickerson said he likes the system because it provides a way to reward employees.

The school is committed to raising faculty salaries to bring them in line with the national average.

Dr. Dale Nitzschke, Southeast's president, said the university must offer competitive salaries to attract quality faculty.

The $63.5 million operating budget includes an estimated $40.6 million from the state, $20.9 million in student fees and another nearly $2 million in other income, such as investment income, library fines and rental fees.

The expected state appropriation is about $3 million more than last year, Wallhausen said. It includes money for development of the Southeast Educational Network to offer more courses off campus through interactive television.

Besides the operating budget, the regents are expected to approve auxiliary budgets of $16 million for operations that include campus housing, the Show Me Center, the University Center, parking and transportation, telecommunications, vending services and the campus bookstore.

The $16 million includes about $3.6 million for salaries and benefits for employees in the auxiliary units.

The lion's share of the auxiliary budgets, some $11.5 million, is slated for equipment, repairs and operations.

Southeast expects to earmark about $1.76 million from the operating and auxiliary budgets to pay student workers.

The university administration will ask the regents to approve major capital and repair projects totaling $5.9 million for the coming fiscal year.