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Budget, athletics grilled by faculty

Maggard says 'aggressive steps' being taken to assuage mounting deficit

By Matt Dulin
The Daily Cougar

The status of the budget and its trickle-down effects on the University fueled the questions and concerns that were addressed Wednesday at the Faculty Senate meeting.

Athletics Director Dave Maggard had the floor the bulk of the time, using the opportunity to convey his confidence in a turnaround for his department, saying that "aggressive steps" are being taken to shore up fund raising.

"Weire trying to wake up the big cat ? weire trying to wake up the cougar that is this University to support our program," Maggard said.

Placating worries about the academic side of athletics, Maggard told the Faculty Senate that "academics is improving," pointing out that a higher percentage of student athletes graduate than non-athletes.

"Weire doing better, but we still need to improve," Maggard said. A new policy in place will not allow student athletes to take summer school unless it is six or more units, all of which must count toward graduation. 

The status of the "subsidy" ? seen in financial terms as a more than $10 million deficit ? dominated the bulk of Maggardis dialogue, but he assured the faculty present that his department had submitted its three-year plan to reduce the subsidy.

"Now itis just a matter of taking the steps to make it happen," he said. "Itis a tremendous challenge."

One way, he said, was Cougar Pride, a revamped fund-raising effort that will become an annual fixture of the department. The event is aimed at UH alumni, and its goal is to bring in the $3 million needed to pay for athletics scholarships.

"Our annual fund raising has been pathetic. Itis going to improve," Maggard said.

The director also said he was "counting on immediate improvement" with the football team under the direction of new head coach Art Briles. 

"Winning is the name of the game," he said. 

Fielding questions from the crowd, Maggard assured faculty, who had seen both their departmentsi budget cuts and their fellow co-workers dismissed, that he was in the same boat.

"We are cutting expenses. Weive let people go this year," he said. If fund raising and winning games arenit successful enough, more cuts will be needed, he said.

When asked about the performance of previous athletics directors and what faculty can expect of Maggard at the end of his tenure, he replied: "Iim not interested in whose fault it is. Iim here to seek improvement," he said. If things donit work out, "I will blame only myself."

John Rudley, vice president of administration and finance, prefaced Maggardis presentation with a discussion on the Universityis budget in view of possible cuts.

Rudley explained that UH operates on a budget of nearly $532.5 million and that the stateis general appropriation ? which is being cut for this fiscal year as well as possibly the next ? for the University makes up nearly a third of the entire revenue the school receives.

"I canit tell you where weire going to end up," Rudley said, explaining that the state wonit make a decision about the next fiscal year until mid-summer.

Rudley also said the cuts, while mainly attributed to the statewide crisis, are part of a nationwide trend thatis been going on for several years ? that is, tuitionis going up as state funding is going down.

"Administrators get the criticism for the (tuition and fee) hikes, but most people donit see the changes going on," he said.

Rudley also said that as enrollment increases, so does the cost of providing education, adding that, "out-of-state tuition is exorbitant," making more students consider going to local universities like UH.

Another concern that surfaced at the meeting was the stateis Employees Retirement System, under which UH employees receive health benefits. To align with budget cuts, the program is changing its benefit packages, transferring more of the financial burden to the employee.

The senate briefly discussed the possibility of protesting the changes.
 

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