Though Binghamton University is expected to face more budget cuts, officials cannot confirm when the cuts will occur or what departments will get hit hardest.
Gail Glover, a spokeswoman for BU, said that decisions on budget cuts have not yet been finalized.
“Yes, we anticipate that there will be more cuts, but we’re not sure if they will take place this year,” said Michael McGoff, acting vice president for administration at BU.
In mid-November New York state Gov. David Paterson proposed a plan that would cut aid to BU by $4.2 million and raise tuition by $300 next semester.
According to Glover, Paterson will submit a budget proposal, which will concern the budget cuts for universities. The proposal will be released on Dec. 16, according to a Dec. 4 press release from Inside Binghamton University.
“Governor Paterson has already indicated that there will be additional cuts over the next several years,” McGoff said.
Glover also said that the cuts will be finalized once the University is given the total amount that the budget must be reduced.
“The programs are cut based on how much Binghamton University is asked to reduce the budget,” Glover said. “Programs are then changed and removed based on that price.”
McGoff said the budget cuts will “affect courses and programs, and the Provost is currently reviewing exactly what those changes might be.”
Lois B. DeFleur, president of Binghamton University, said officials are in the process of making important decisions regarding the budget cuts.
“[Binghamton University is] making decisions every day about how we can do things in a different way,” she said. “We have a strategy and are cutting various areas of expenditures.”
This includes not filling vacancies, not making any major purchases and looking at a variety of options for reorganization, DeFleur said.
Glover added that the University has undertaken “additional major energy conservation and recycling programs” and that “each division has targets, which they are dealing with in different ways.”