UCF to Cut Budget, Freeze Hiring and Cap 2008 Freshman Enrollment in Response to Reductions in State Funding

By UCF Staff July 11, 2007

University of Central Florida President John Hitt on Wednesday enacted a university-wide hiring freeze and asked all vice presidents to reduce their units’ budgets by at least 4 percent in response to projected reductions in state funding for UCF.

Hitt also said he will follow a decision by the Board of Governors to admit no more freshmen in 2008 than the university will admit in 2007. The board, which oversees the state’s 11 public universities, met Tuesday at UCF to discuss how universities should respond to the reductions in state funding.

Hitt’s request for divisions to cut their budgets follows a letter from Governor Charlie Crist, Senate President Ken Pruitt and House Speaker Marco Rubio advising state agencies that they should anticipate reductions of at least 4 percent in their shares of recurring general revenue during the next two fiscal years.

A 4 percent cut would translate into a projected reduction of $12 million in UCF’s legislatively appropriated budget. State agencies also have been asked to prepare for the possibility of a 10 percent cut, which would translate into a projected reduction of $29 million for UCF.

“This situation, along with the inability of the state universities to increase tuition, a change in the way the legislature funds enrollment, and increasing costs of educating students, forces the universities to take some drastic measures,” Hitt wrote in a letter to the campus community. “Thus, while we will do everything we can to preserve the quality of education we offer our students, we also must take some significant actions.”

Hitt said he will leave it to the discretion of unit and division heads to decide how to cut their budgets. However, he urged them to eliminate unnecessary travel, monitor discretionary expenditures and conserve energy.

The hiring freeze will apply to all faculty and staff positions at all UCF campuses and centers except for “crucial positions” approved by the provost or president. Positions funded from non-state sources, such as auxiliaries, contracts or grants, are exempt as long as they continue to be funded through non-state sources.

“The freshman class enrollment freeze, the hiring freeze, and this initial budget reduction are the first steps that we must take to address this serious reduction in UCF's state appropriation,” Hitt wrote. “Please be mindful that it may be necessary to take additional steps as the overall state budget picture becomes clearer.”

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