UNIVERSITY BUDGET PANEL FINISHES WORK

Southeast Missouri State University's Budget Review Committee approved a budget package Monday that calls for a 3 percent across-the-board salary increase for all but the institution's executive staff.

The budget package also includes slight cuts in athletic funding. The committee wound up 3 months of deliberations by recommending a nearly $50 million budget for fiscal year 1993. The vote was 20-0, with one abstention.

Projected expenditures exceed projected income by about $167,000. But Ken Dobbins, vice president for finance and administration and chairman of the budget committee, said the administration will be making some adjustments in order to present the Board of Regents with a balanced budget in June.

The adjustments, he said, will depend on several factors, including the state appropriation and medical insurance costs two items that have yet to be finalized.

The proposed budget, which will now be forwarded to Southeast President Kala Stroup, includes some items for which funding could be cut or reduced to meet the budget shortfall.

In all, those budget items total $540,801. They include $200,000 in funding for academic computer needs and $300,000 to reduce the university's more than $500,000 deficit in its undesignated fund balance.

"I think the process was very worthwhile," Dobbins said following the meeting. "It was very thorough." He said the budget process involved "a lot of give and take."

Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president, said, "I think there was a general consensus that this was the best we could do."

Shelba Branscum, a faculty representative on the budget committee, said this year's more open budget process was much improved over previous years. "I appreciate your attitude," she told Dobbins. "It has made it more workable."

Salary hikes were a key concern of the budget committee this spring as university employees received no across-the-board pay hikes for the 1991-92 year as a result of tight state funding.

In addition to calling for a 3 percent across-the-board pay hike, the committee has recommended:

Faculty members who meet merit pay criteria receive an additional $1,000 in salary.

Increasing faculty salaries by $1,000 for full professors, $500 for associate professors, $300 for assistant professors, and $150 for instructors to help bring salaries in line with national averages.

Professional staff and clerical-technical-service (CTS) staff receive added salary adjustments from "performance pay" plans. For professional staff the pay hikes would be $150 or $300, depending on the individual's "performance" rating. For CTS staff, it would be $150.

The committee also recommended that the executive staff, which consists of the deans, vice presidents and president, not receive any automatic across-the-board pay hikes. But money equivalent to a 4 percent raise for the group would be allocated on the basis of performance evaluations.

Wallhausen said that when all the pay adjustments are considered, faculty would receive about a 5 percent pay hike under the budget plan, while other employee groups would receive 4 percent raises.

He said the university currently spends about $34 million for salaries and benefits for its approximately 950 employees. The salary adjustments would increase those costs by about $1.5 million, he said.

The salary recommendations were worked out during early sessions of the budget committee, but were not disclosed publicly by university officials until Monday.

The committee, on a motion by Provost Leslie Cochran, agreed to cut $30,000 from the institution's projected $1.85 million commitment to intercollegiate athletics for the coming fiscal year.

Cochran said the $30,000 cut in university funding would likely be realized by reductions in student labor and a 2-3 percent cut in operations. The athletic department may also seek to generate more revenue to make up for the funding cut.

Cochran pointed out the committee had already cut $38,000 from athletic-related items. Those items included $27,000 in funding for cheerleaders and other "spirit" groups and $11,000 for fifth-year athletic scholarships.

Cochran said the athletic department must now find outside funding to support those groups.

In all, he said, Southeast's athletic department is faced with $68,000 in budget adjustments.

But Branscum argued that $30,000 was too small a cut. She suggested a $50,000 cut would be in order.

The committee narrowly rejected Branscum's suggestion on a vote of 10 for to 13 against. The committee then approved Cochran's motion on a 20-2 vote.

The committee in March had narrowly recommended a $250,000 cut in the athletic budget. But that recommendation had been roundly opposed by both the administration and the Board of Regents.