Texas Tech Budget Surpasses $1 Billion mark

[mrfootball]

Cuts in works as Tech budget hits $1 billion

BY ELLIOTT BLACKBURN

AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/05110...051106039.shtml

Texas Tech regents will consider chopping a tenth of the system budget and two system offices today even as Tech coffers hit $1 billion for the first time in school history.

The Tech System Administration budget is trimmed by more than $5 million, or 27 percent of its 2006 funding, in a budget proposal made available Wednesday.

Roughly $3.6 million of that funding was found by moving the Texas Tech police department out of the system budget and into the university last fall.

Eliminating two system-level offices and roughly 12 jobs from the system budget saves another $1.7 million. System officials refused to identify both the offices and the jobs because they involve employees.

"It's good, responsible administration," said Jim Brunjes, senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer. "It puts more money into both the university and the Health Sciences Center that they can use for academic purposes."

The documents finally put into numbers what regents and interim Chancellor Donald Haragan have suggested for months.

The board asked Haragan when he was named interim chancellor in early March to review the system budget and bring back recommended changes.

Board Chairman Rick Francis said last week after a special meeting in Dallas that the board had found "meaningful dollars" to push away from administrative activities and into academic programs at the system's institutions.

Francis and Haragan could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Regent Mark Griffin characterized the proposals as a good start.

"I think it's a good, solid step," Griffin said. "We're going to have to find ways to more efficiently operate, but more effectively use our dollars, also."

Regent Dan Serna, too, characterized the proposal as the beginning of the process.

"We'll talk through the pros and cons, but I think we're moving in the right direction."

The system administration currently employs 190 people. The combined system, Health Sciences Center and university institutions employ more than 8,000 faculty and staff.

The overall proposed budget is up $41 million over last year.

Texas Tech University receives more than $15 million of that increase, to more than $538 million. The Health Sciences Center will receive $26.6 million more than last year, giving it a total budget of more than $488 million.

The 2007 budget pushes Tech past a $1 billion milestone, to more than $1.03 billion in expenses.

"One billion is a critical threshold for institutions of higher education and institutions of higher education systems," Brunjes said. "It's a very important milestone in terms of people recognizing us as a major enterprise."

To comment on this story:

elliott.blackburn@lubbockonline.com 766-8722

brian.williams@lubbockonline.com 766-8717

[brijonmang]

Wow, $1 billion is a lot of money. Hey mr. football did you hear about the plans to tear down the BA and construct the new one at the intersection of 19th and University?

[mrfootball]

Wow, $1 billion is a lot of money. Hey mr. football did you hear about the plans to tear down the BA and construct the new one at the intersection of 19th and University?

The old COBA isn't going to be torn down. The Dean of the business school said it will be used by the University as a General Purpose classroom facility.

Here's a link to the Capital Campaign for the new $60 Million Rawls College of Business facility, which will be one of the Signature landmarks on campus (ie. English Philosophy Complex, Admin Bldg, etc).

http://www.rawlsbusiness.ba.ttu.edu/cap_camp/index.html

[brijonmang]

The old COBA isn't going to be torn down. The Dean of the business school said it will be used as a General Purpose classroom facility.

thats what i had heard from multiple people...it didnt really make sense in my mind to tear down the tallest building on campus