During presentations to the BOT's Audit, Business and Finance Committee, Nancy Suttenfield, vice chancellor for finance and administration, presented the timeline for the plan, which calls for long-term financial plans in each University department to be finalized by the end of the calendar year. The plan includes a phase to craft a five-year tuition increase proposal that will be ready for approval by the BOT in spring 2003.
During the meeting, University officials acknowledged that long-term planning is uncommon in higher education but said the mounting state budget deficit makes it necessary to outline long-term growth. The state is facing a budget shortfall approaching $2 billion, which might mean cuts of at least 5 percent to the UNC system.
"We must keep our focus not just on managing these cuts but also in looking at the long-term horizon," said Chancellor James Moeser. "It's important that we not become obsessed or depressed with the present situation."
The financial plan comes more than four months after the UNC-system Board of Governors requested that each of the 16 system schools submit a five-year tuition plan by the BOG's October meeting. In response to the request, UNC-CH officials pledged to form a tuition committee composed of administrators, faculty and students, but the committee has yet to be established.
Provost Robert Shelton said he plans to name the committee members and have the committee meet this summer to begin work on drafting a tuition proposal by the end of the fall semester.
Shelton said the BOG has placed less emphasis on finishing the tuition proposal because of uncertainty regarding the state budget deficit but that he still wants to get started on the process before a new budget is in place.
"We have to get the ball rolling on this," Shelton said. "My guess is that once the state budget clears in August, the BOG will want to see a tuition plan as soon as possible."
But Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for student affairs at N.C. State University, said the school has not made any progress in drafting a five-year tuition plan because it was given indication from UNC-system president Molly Broad's office to wait until the new state budget is approved.
"The sense we got was that the president's office probably wanted to wait to see how the budget would pan out," Stafford said. "The intent (to draft a tuition plan) is still there, but we were told to put all that work on hold."
