Did anybody else notice that the 6% tuition increase at MSU and UM are earmarked for across the board raises for faculty, but Shelby reports that "increased operating expenses" at USM preclude this? I thought this guy was a whiz at streamlining administration and saving huge amounts of money. What happened to that 1.4 M savings he generated (over and over again) by collapsing 9 colleges into 5? I guess the beleaguered USM faculty will have to endure another "merit" raise. What are the odds Dana Thames will get another 15%?
Remember that no money was actually saved. In theory, 1.4, then 1.8, and now over 2.1 million was supposedly "reallocated" from administration to the classroom. However, if you check the budget books carefully, you will discover that this was accomplished primarily by moving administrators' salaries to the instructional budget. For example, the "COO" of the coast is paid mostly from the instructional budget. Thus, his salary has been "reallocated" to the classroom. Don't worry, the new accounting system is consistent with GAAP (Gosh Awful Accounting Practices). Please don't try this at home, the IRS may object!
The university did have a cost increase. For example, the state is requiring USM to increase the university reserve for tort litigation by close to one million dollars. Seems that the state is concerned the USM's risk has increased.
quote: Originally posted by: Book Keeper "Remember that no money was actually saved. In theory, 1.4, then 1.8, and now over 2.1 million was supposedly "reallocated" from administration to the classroom. However, if you check the budget books carefully, you will discover that this was accomplished primarily by moving administrators' salaries to the instructional budget. For example, the "COO" of the coast is paid mostly from the instructional budget. Thus, his salary has been "reallocated" to the classroom. Don't worry, the new accounting system is consistent with GAAP (Gosh Awful Accounting Practices). Please don't try this at home, the IRS may object! The university did have a cost increase. For example, the state is requiring USM to increase the university reserve for tort litigation by close to one million dollars. Seems that the state is concerned the USM's risk has increased. "
I suspected that Thames and crew had done something like this. It's good to have confirmation, though, that the reorg saved no money.