MU cutting 185 jobs to help fill a nearly $49 million budget cap

The University of Missouri is eliminating 185 jobs, about 30 of which are layoffs, to help fill a budget gap of nearly $49 million caused by reductions in state support and decreasing enrollment.

Vice Chancellor for Finance Rhonda Gibler said during a press conference Wednesday that those positions are largely staff.

In addition to the job cuts, every college, school or division will also see budget reductions. Some units have reductions of up to 12 percent.

“We have decided on certain areas not getting the same level of reduction as other areas,” MU chancellor Alexander Cartwright said Wednesday. “To me, that is really a choice of where we are investing and trying to invest in our students and our faculty and the things we’re doing as an academic institution.”

It’s not all bad news for MU. Leaders said Wednesday they are putting aside $6.2 million to help fund
merit-based pay raises. They are also setting aside about $8 million for scholarships.

“We are going to put more money in some expenditure categories, and we see those as an investment in our future,” Gibler said. “So, putting merit-based pay increases, we see that as an investment for our people. What we do to increase scholarships, we see as an investment in our students.”

Cartwright said leaders at the university based their budget decisions on student success.

“We’re talking a lot of good steps to move the university in the direction people want to see us go,” Gibler said. “We’re very hopeful that next year will be less painful for all of our decision makers.”

While Cartwright said the university is moving in a positive direction, he admitted that every unit is struggling with some tough decisions.

“Our budgets have been decreasing for a number of years in a row,” Cartwright said. “So, when you add even two percent reduction on top of reductions that have already taken place for many years–they’ve already cut everything they can cut. So, right now, they’re having to make some really difficult decisions about what they will not be doing. And I think all of our units are in that position.”

He also said he expects the university to start to see an upswing in its budget in the next few years.

“If you look at our enrollment numbers and you see that we’re up 4,600 for the fall, you know, it’s our hope to continue that trend and then we would be increasing again next year,” Cartwright said. “We look at this as like a three-year problem. I can’t solve this in one year but I can solve this in a period of about three years.”

Here’s a chart with full breakdown of the reductions.