Legislature, governor approve university appropriation

Employee forum information The university budget and other issues will be discussed at the following employee forums: Wednesday, June 17 — 9:30 a.m. in the Sorrell Center, Room 3001; Thursday, June 18 — 3 p.m. in the Durham Research Center Auditorium. This forum will be broadcast to UNMC’s non-Omaha locations. More broadcast information will be published later in UNMC Today.

While it has faired better than many other institutions across the nation, the University of Nebraska has been affected by the current economic crisis.

This was evident during the legislative session as budget constraints prompted Gov. Dave Heineman and the Nebraska Unicameral to grant the university a 1.5 percent budget increase for the 2009-2011 biennium rather than the larger increases NU needs to fund its core requirements.

“We recognize that it could have been much worse,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “We are appreciative of President Milliken’s work with the legislature, especially members of the appropriations committee, and with the governor. We also appreciate that the governor and state lawmakers recognize the importance of the university to all Nebraskans.”

Although the budget will not be finalized until the Board of Regents meets in June, Milliken has issued salary guidelines that establish 1.5 percent salary increase pools for 2009-2010. These funds will be used exclusively to address salary competitive issues for employees with meritorious performance. They will not be used for across the board increases or to offset expected budget cuts.

The regents will meet June 12 to approve the 2009-10 budget, including state appropriations, tuition, other revenues and all major expense categories.

The regents’ budget decisions will be discussed at UNMC employee forums, which will be held Wednesday, June 17 and Thursday, June 18.

“Despite the current budget situation, we are optimistic about the future of UNMC. We are very focused on our mission and will continue to move forward and grow.” Harold M. Maurer, M.D.

UNMC will aggressively pursue ways to supplement state support by generating additional monies, such as increasing federal support and clinical revenue, said John Adams, Ph.D., assistant vice chancellor for budget and strategic planning.

The current budget situation is minor setback for UNMC, Dr. Maurer said, noting that his optimism about the medical center remains strong.

“Despite the current budget situation, we are optimistic about the future of UNMC,” Dr. Maurer said. “We are very focused on our mission and will continue to move forward and grow, attract top students, conduct ground-breaking research and build on our excellent programs. A strong university is essential to the state’s economic recovery.”