printable versionStudent affairs division cuts budget
BY KATHLEEN J. SULLIVAN
The Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs last week laid off 11 people, reduced the work schedules of other employees and announced that more cuts are expected next year to meet the campus-wide mandate to trim costs by 15 percent in fiscal year 2010.
So far, the cost cutting in the student affairs division has affected 55 employees, said Greg Boardman, vice provost for student affairs. He said the decisions were difficult to make but necessary to achieve the cutbacks required to help Stanford trim $100 million from its $800 million general funds budget in the coming fiscal year, which begins Sept. 1.
"Every reduction is meaningful to someone, and every cut painful," Boardman said. "These reductions impact very loyal, hard-working employees."
With the cutbacks, the student affairs division thus far has pared about $3 million from its general funds budget, which is composed primarily of salaries.
The student affairs division, which has about 220 employees, oversees residential education, student records, student life (including the offices of judicial affairs, student activities and graduate life) and Vaden Health Center, as well as the Bechtel International Center, the Career Development Center, the Haas Center for Public Service and six student community centers.
Starting in the summer of 2010, some student affairs staff will work full time for 10 months of the year and half time in July and August.
"This option allowed more staff to remain on the payroll without interruption and with continuing benefits, though with a reduction in time," Boardman said. "Since most Stanford undergraduates are not on campus during summer, we felt a staff reduction during July and August would have the least negative impact on students and, similarly, on staff."
In another cost-saving measure, the student affairs division followed the lead of other units by adopting a new policy requiring its staff to use vacation time during the year in which it is earned. (Unused vacation days are a financial liability for administrative units and schools.)
The division also has cut expenses related to travel, conferences, food, classroom furniture, student salaries and printing, Boardman said. Some employees took voluntary pay cuts.
He said the cuts would not be restored even if the economy improves in the near future.
"The university is planning for a prolonged economic downturn and slow recovery, as well as fundamental changes in future university planning," Boardman said. "We have been asked to make reductions with the understanding they will be permanent."
The national recession and global economic crisis continues to exact a heavy toll on the university's endowment, which has fallen 25 to 30 percent.
In recent months, Stanford has taken a variety of steps to reduce expenses. It has imposed a university-wide salary freeze, suspended $1.3 billion in construction projects and instituted hiring freezes. Both the Graduate School of Business and Stanford Athletics have cut their budgets and laid off employees. More university layoffs are expected over the next several months.