All members of the campus community are cordially invited to attend an open budget forum Wednesday, May 1, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Sage 1210. Please feel free to bring your lunch.

• During the forum, Chancellor Wells and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Tom Sonnleitner will provide an update on Governor Walker’s 2013–2015 Biennial Budget proposal and UW System funding and tuition.
• Forum participants will also receive an update related to recent reports and news stories on UW System fund balance and reserves and UW Oshkosh’s portion of them. The forum will specifically document:
  • UW Oshkosh’s fiscally responsible, conservative, uncommitted $3 million rainy day reserve fund, equal to approximately 1 percent of our $242 million 2011–12 budget. This total is significantly below at least two widely accepted reserve-level recommendations. It also represents the uncommitted fund balance within our campus’s approximately $37 million total fund balance, 92 percent of which is either restricted or committed to specific student services, programs or University initiatives.
  • Plans to reinvest uncommitted fund balances thoughtfully and with input, guidance and support from students, staff and faculty. The investments must be fiscally prudent and aligned with what we consider to be our most important strategic challenges.

We have prepared important background documents that more deeply detail our fund balance and reserve sources and applications. We strongly encourage you to read these materials in advance of attending next week’s budget forum or watching it online. Access the materials.

Wednesday’s budget forum proceedings will be streamed live and recorded for those who cannot attend. You will need to use your University Net ID to login and view the forum. We will share a reminder email with a forum link early next week. Anyone with a question during the live forum is welcome to use Titan Apps to either email it or relay it via chat to hummela@uwosh.edu. News Services and Public Relations Director Alex Hummel will share the question as time permits in Sage 1210.

Watch the recording of UW Oshkosh’s initial, Feb. 27 budget forum.

This new open forum presents an opportunity to provide the latest budget information. University administrators will continue to work closely with the U-PLAN Council and college deans and will keep the entire campus community aware of the budget challenges and opportunities as they develop in the weeks ahead.

The campus-wide focus remains on efforts to improve student success and close achievement gaps. As noted in last fall’s Opening Day address, we also face key challenges in such areas as quality and compensation.