UNIVERSITY REGENTS SET TO APPROVE $104 MILLION BUDGET

Southeast Missouri State University plans to spend $104 million in the new fiscal year, which begins Saturday.

That's just for operations. It doesn't include capital improvement projects such as development of the River Campus arts school.

The Board of Regents is expected to approve the budget at its meeting today in Kennett at the university's new Kennett Area High Education Center. Following the meeting, the board plans to officially dedicate the building.

The budget includes projected spending of $81.8 million for general operations and another $22.5 million for auxiliary enterprises.

Auxiliary enterprises include the operation of the campus residence halls, Show Me Center, Student Recreation Center and the University Center, as well as several other services.

The auxiliary enterprises are designed to be self-supporting operations. The operation of the residence halls is the largest of the auxiliary budgets, with projected spending of more than $12 million.

Personnel costs make up more than half of the budget, amounting to some $59.4 million. That includes more than $54 million for the general operations budget, including more than $1.3 million in student labor. Also included is $5.28 million in auxiliary services personnel costs, budget figures show.

Southeast's nearly 1,000 employees are scheduled to receive pay raises in the 4 percent range or higher, school officials said.

Faculty would receive merit raises of 3.75 percent to 5 percent, school President Dr. Ken Dobbins said. Most faculty would receive more than the 3.75 percent base merit pay.

The increases don't reflect any change in faculty rank, such as a move to full professor, Dobbins said. A change in rank adds to a faculty member's salary.

Other employees, ranging from executive staff to clerical, would receive raises of 4 percent on average. The pay for graduate assistants would climb by 3.75 percent.

Dobbins said the university has made a concerted effort to improve employee pay for fiscal 2001.

Faculty members received 2 percent pay raises on average in fiscal 2000.

"We lost a lot of ground when it came to faculty salaries," said Dobbins.

The pay raises should make faculty salaries competitive again nationally with comparable institutions, he said.

Besides pay hikes, the university administration and the school's Budget Review Committee focused on providing second-year funding for Southeast's University Studies Advising Center.

The advising center counsels students who have yet to declare a major. Dobbins said the advising program has proved successful in its first year.

The budget also includes money for additional graduate assistants in the school's growing graduate programs, as well as funding for added positions in financial aid, admissions and cashier services for students.

In other action, the regents will consider submitting to the state capital budget requests of $42.6 million for fiscal 2002 and $24.6 million for fiscal 2003.

The fiscal 2002 request includes $21.4 million for major renovations to Academic Hall, including electrical and mechanical upgrades, and replacement of more than 200 windows.

Southeast also wants to repair the slate roof and clean and waterproof the exterior stone walls. The entrance doors also would be replaced.

The fiscal 2002 request also calls for $21.2 million to upgrade the university's three science buildings.

The fiscal 2003 request seeks $19 million for renovations to Kent Library, including replacing the roof and the west and south masonry facades. Another $5 million is being sought to remodel the Grauel Building.

Southeast plans to move the English department from the Grauel Building to Academic Hall.

Computer services would be moved to Serena Hall once the industrial arts program is moved to the new polytechnic building, which is under construction. Dobbins said that would free up space to house English department offices and classrooms in Academic Hall.

Academic Hall began as an academic building, but in recent years it has been used almost exclusively for university administrative and service offices.

"Hopefully we will see every student have a class in the signature building of the campus," he said