The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents approved
a fiscal year 2008 appropriation request strategy at a
special meeting, Oct. 20.
EMU's estimated fiscal year 2008 general fund expenses
total $249,457,906. The University is asking for
a higher education Consumer Price Index increase of 5 percent,
or $3.9 million in its state appropriation. Even
if the state grants the request, EMU would be forced to
increase tuition and fees by at least 3.4 percent to balance
the University's 2008 budget.
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Holda |
"Despite our cuts of more than 186 positions and more
than $39 million in the base budget, we still need additional
state assistance to keep up with rising costs," said Steve
Holda, interim director of finance for EMU. "We have an
$8.1 million gap between what costs were last year and
what they are forecast for fiscal year 2008."
Most of the $8.1 million needed, about $4.5 million, would
go to cover rising costs in health care, and faculty and
staff compensation. The balance of the $8.1 million gap
relates to rising utility costs ($1.4 million), increasing
student scholarships and financial aid ($1 million), retiree
health care costs related to the Michigan Public School
Employees Retirement System ($719,011) and $0.5 million
in other central budgets.
"Higher education has experienced three consecutive years
of declining state appropriations prior to last year when
we received a 2.7 percent increase over FY06 funding," said
Holda. "Prior to fiscal year 2007, Eastern Michigan had
not received a base budget increase since FY02."
Despite having the state's sixth largest university enrollment,
EMU ranks 10th in state appropriation per student among
the 15 public universities in Michigan.
EMU's fiscal year 2007 appropriation was $78.2 million,
approximately equal to what it received from the state
in 1999. The per-student appropriation of $4,126 for FY
2007 is almost $62 less per student than it was in 1997
and almost $662 less per student than in 2002. State appropriation
comprises less than 32.4 percent of EMU's General Fund
operating budget.
