These are historic times for our state, our UW System and our University.  Wisconsin’s fiscal situation has inspired proposals for unprecedented transformation throughout state government. No matter what change and challenge is to come, we are confident we have a solid plan in place to advance UW Oshkosh through another demanding biennium. We will carefully listen to faculty, staff and students. We will encourage and incorporate solutions and innovation. We have a strong, transparent and inclusive budget planning process already in motion.

Governor Walker’s Budget Repair Bill has yet to be approved. However, on Tuesday, he overviewed and submitted his 2011-13 biennial budget proposal to the Legislature. President Reilly and the UW System staff have just released a very preliminary analysis of the Governor’s budgetary impact on the UW System. We are working with the System Administration to determine the more specific impact on each campus.

Based upon our very preliminary analysis, the Governor’s budget proposal means a $250M biennial budget shortfall for the UW System. The UW Oshkosh 2011-13 biennial budget shortfall share amounts to approximately $10M without considering tuition increases. However, if the Budget Repair Bill is passed, we estimate that between another $7M to 10M would be shouldered by UW Oshkosh employees due to the significant compensation decrease called for by Governor Walker. That total of $17M to $20M compares to the 2009-11 budgetary shortfall of $13.6M.

While we are working hard to develop budget shortfall scenarios, we will continue to strongly advocate for a decrease of the Governor’s budget cuts as well as the granting of the campus-level leadership and management flexibilities outlined in President Kevin Reilly’s and the Board of Regents’ Feb.15 letter to the Governor.

I want to assure you that one of our most central budget principles is to “value employees and abide by contracts, policies and established procedures.” Furthermore, we will do everything within our power, drawing on our legacy of innovative and creative problem solving, to continue the employment of UW Oshkosh faculty, academic and classified staff to serve the students of the state’s third largest, and second fastest growing, university. I want our goal to be no layoffs. We will have to look at all position vacancies now and in the future and consider how we can restructure and realign positions to meet campus needs and work towards the reduction of FTE to meet our budget reduction requirement. We can also buy time using rainy day funds thoughtfully and strategically as we move forward.

The UW Oshkosh Foundation has set up an interest-free loan program for UW Oshkosh employees to help spread out the negative impact of a compensation decrease resulting from approval of the Budget Repair Bill. All half-time and greater UW Oshkosh employees would be eligible for the program. The program would provide a 0% interest loan on a maximum of $1,200 starting May 1. It will have a pay-back period of up to 12 months starting October 1. More information on the UW Oshkosh Foundation loan program will be released by the end of next week.  The UW Credit Union and the UW Oshkosh Credit Union have also agreed to provide similar loan programs and free credit consultations for employees who are interested.

The following link has been updated to address the Budget Repair Bill Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ] and provide other relevant information and resources, including a personal Estimator for employees to determine the impact of the Budget Repair Bill on Health Insurance Premium and WRS Contributions:

http://www.uwsa.edu/hr/benefits/budgetbill.htm

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend one of the four (4) Budget Update/Open Forum sessions scheduled for Tuesday, March 8, in Reeve Memorial Union Theatre, room 307.  Specifically, meeting times are suggested below for each of our University employee working groups.  However, those individuals who cannot make the suggested time for their meeting are invited to attend any session scheduled on March 8th.  The times are as follows:

Academic Staff – 10:00 -11:00 a.m.

Faculty – 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Classified Staff – 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Students  – 4:00-4:45 p.m.

These sessions are designed to offer all UW Oshkosh faculty, staff and students the opportunity to address questions, concerns and relevant issues regarding the Budget Repair Bill and the proposed 2011-13 biennial budget. They will also provide an opportunity for all members of the academic community to generate suggestions, alternatives and solutions as we move forward.

The forums are only the next step on the budget planning course we laid out for the campus community in January. That timeline follows:

March 8, 2011: Campus-wide budget update/feedback open forums

March 14, 2011: Admin Staff budget update/feedback meeting; Campus-wide budget planning feedback survey launches

March 16, 2011: U-PLAN budget update/feedback meeting

March 21-25, 2011: Spring break

Late March/early April: Campus-wide budget update/feedback continues

April 11, 2011: Admin Staff Budget update/feedback meeting

April 13, 2011: U-PLAN Budget update/feedback meeting

Mid April:

• Special U-PLAN meetings as needed
• UW Oshkosh 2011-13 budget submitted to UW System
• Mid/late April: Campus-wide budget update email communication

Thanks for your time. We look forward to listening to and working with faculty, staff and students in the days and weeks ahead as we prepare UW Oshkosh’s budget.