SEMO president worried about university's budget

Days before moving to Cape Girardeau in 1991, Dr. Ken Dobbins received a phone call from the president's assistant at Southeast Missouri State University.

The president had canceled her vacation, and university staff members were addressing recent budget cuts.

To address the appropriation reduction, he said, the university started a budget review process so faculty and staff could participate.

"Deans had to come in and testify in front of this faculty and staff budget review committee," he said. "Why are you doing this? What are you doing? We went through it all."

After a decade as president, Dobbins said he is still concerned about budget issues.

"Right now is the start of a tough time," he said. "Depending on what happens with the economy, there are a couple of challenges that we're going to be having."

This year the state maintained its level of funding to public universities by using stimulus money. Universities did not raise fees to as part of an agreement with Gov. Jay Nixon to keep a flat appropriation, $47.2 million for Southeast.

Dobbins said 12 percent of the university's state appropriation is temporary stimulus funding and state revenue will have to grow significantly to keep up.

"A little growth is not enough to do what needs to be done," he said. "We have $5.4 million in stimulus money that in 2012 disappears."

Dobbins said one of the most challenging moments of his tenure was the budget cuts in 2002 and 2003. As he prepares for financial hardships, Dobbins said, he is recalling lessons learned then.

During the cuts, Southeast streamlined the budget review process, which will be used again, if needed.

Reducing programs, however, can only go so far, he said.

"We don't want to cut and cut and cut and cut the quality," he said. "Then our graduates can't get jobs and when they do, they don't do well."

Shortly after reducing the budget in 2002, he said, the university added a construction management program.

"A year after the cuts we had to expand because we knew there were demands," he said.

He said he expects the state will maintain its level of funding next year but is concerned more about 2012. Dobbins said the university is preparing by building fund balances, making small cuts and evaluating open positions.

He said past budget cuts have made the university more resilient.

"I think we came out of it a better university, a stronger university and a more cohesive university," he said. "Do I want to do it again? No."

abusch@semissourian.com

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