With the Kentucky General Assembly 2016 session nearing its end next month, Murray State University and other institutions across the commonwealth are waiting for the final verdict on the next state budget. MSU President Bob Davies speaks with Todd Hatton on Sounds Good on how the university is tightening its belt to accommodate anticipated funding cuts.
Davies says he’s appreciative of the work MSU staff and students have put into supporting the university. He describes democracy as a “contact sport” and says protests like the student-organized march in Frankfort late last month help to maintain higher education visibility.
The MSU President says he expects the state House to finish their budget amendments sometime next week. Then it’s up to the Senate followed by final approval from Gov. Matt Bevin.
“We’re not quite halfway, but I think we have made significant strides at least in articulating the impact that it would have on Murray State University, our students, on our university as a whole,” Davies said.
Another key component of Bevin’s proposed budget is performance-based funding. Over the next few years, the entire higher education state appropriations pool would come from that model.
Davies is looking to push that back to the next biennium.
Regardless of the deliberations in Frankfort, Davies says the university will have to make reductions as costs perpetually rise.
For now, Murray State is focusing on contingency planning: identifying core services and potential scope changes for certain programs to make up for reduced funding.
Last month, the university established a pair of task forces to find those key programs along with those that could be shrunk or outright eliminated.
“Quality is a very strong component of this discussion as well,” Davies said. Again, that goes to the opportunities for growth of programs, the relevance of programs and various things along those lines.”
