Task Force One plans for next year
Jonathan Wolinsky '10
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: News
Task Force One, the group of faculty, staff and students organized to make $2.5 million in budget cuts for next year, held the first open community meeting to discuss its progress.
"The purpose of today is to share with you the recommendations the Task Force is going to make," President Crutcher said to a packed audience in the Chapel.
A second task force has been created to deal with making bigger institutional changes to Wheaton with a long term focus.
Due to the economic downturn and secondary effects such as decreased enrollment, Wheaton is expecting a $2.5 million shortfall for the next year's budget. To make up for this, Task Force One was assigned the job of finding places that Wheaton could either cut back or, if possible, increase revenue.
"For the past 15 years, Wheaton has been able to grow and expand because of three inputs into our system," Crutcher explained. The inputs were an annual increase of about 5 percent in tuition, increasing the student body by small amounts every year and successful fundraising. All three of these inputs are curtailed by the poor economy meaning that Wheaton cannot continue to behave as it has.
Business Director John Sullivan listed off ways Wheaton is going to save money a few thousand dollars at a time such as upgrading the photocopiers on campus to use less energy and be all around more efficient; cutting back on water cooler bottled water; and using brand name office supplies. These "no brainers," as Sullivan described them, can save tens of thousands of dollars.
But in order to save millions of dollars bigger cuts are going to need to be made. Different divisions on campus are taking budget cuts. The Office of the Dean of Students is making a $20,000 cut while the Office of Admission is cutting $52,000.
"The Academic Division can't really reduce its budget," said Interim Provost Elita Pastra-Landis. "Our costs are mostly associated with people." In order to cut back, the Academic Division will be cutting adjunct professors (non-tenure track professors paid by the number of courses taught).
"The purpose of today is to share with you the recommendations the Task Force is going to make," President Crutcher said to a packed audience in the Chapel.
A second task force has been created to deal with making bigger institutional changes to Wheaton with a long term focus.
Due to the economic downturn and secondary effects such as decreased enrollment, Wheaton is expecting a $2.5 million shortfall for the next year's budget. To make up for this, Task Force One was assigned the job of finding places that Wheaton could either cut back or, if possible, increase revenue.
"For the past 15 years, Wheaton has been able to grow and expand because of three inputs into our system," Crutcher explained. The inputs were an annual increase of about 5 percent in tuition, increasing the student body by small amounts every year and successful fundraising. All three of these inputs are curtailed by the poor economy meaning that Wheaton cannot continue to behave as it has.
Business Director John Sullivan listed off ways Wheaton is going to save money a few thousand dollars at a time such as upgrading the photocopiers on campus to use less energy and be all around more efficient; cutting back on water cooler bottled water; and using brand name office supplies. These "no brainers," as Sullivan described them, can save tens of thousands of dollars.
But in order to save millions of dollars bigger cuts are going to need to be made. Different divisions on campus are taking budget cuts. The Office of the Dean of Students is making a $20,000 cut while the Office of Admission is cutting $52,000.
"The Academic Division can't really reduce its budget," said Interim Provost Elita Pastra-Landis. "Our costs are mostly associated with people." In order to cut back, the Academic Division will be cutting adjunct professors (non-tenure track professors paid by the number of courses taught).
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