Dear Colleagues,
The ´ºÃÎÖ±²¥ Board of Trustees adopted the FY 2021 All Funds Budget of $144.7 million for the university during their meeting held June 10, 2020. The Commonwealth’s budget process is expected to be very challenging given the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and remains unknown at this time. State funding is one of several key uncertainties identified in the budget package. As with any financial plan, assumptions have been made regarding the uncertainties based on the best available information. The budget package includes numerous tables and charts in the interests of financial transparency and is available on the We encourage you to review the budget and contact us with your feedback and questions.
The FY21 budget action includes several major expense reduction strategies necessary in light of anticipated revenue declines. The Massachusetts State College Building Authority (MSCBA) is actively working to restructure debt payments to provide significant financial relief, especially during FY21 and to a lesser degree, for FY22. Unfortunately, the budget also includes a significant savings target to be realized from a furlough program which will be bargained with our unions. Non-unit community members will also be participating in a furlough program.
The trustees also set the fee rates for the upcoming academic year at the June 10 meeting. Full time in-state undergraduate day students who are commuters will pay $11,675 for the academic year, an increase of $391 or 3.5% above the prior year. Full-time, out-of-state undergraduate day commuter students will be charged $18,480, an increase of $415 or 2.3% over the FY 2020 rate. Various other rates and fees have been adjusted; for example, the online course fee was removed, and a number of undergraduate differential program fees were temporarily lifted in light of the pandemic. Institutionally funded financial aid will increase 20% on a per student basis over the FY20 budget for financial aid. Tuition, fees, room, and board rates will be communicated to students by the Enrollment Management and Marketing teams and posted on the university’s website. In addition, the complete list of board-approved rates, including Graduate and Continuing Education rates, which were approved previously, is an appendix to the budget package.
A separate notice will be distributed when our budget department has loaded the approved budget into PeopleSoft, expected shortly. Campus departments can access that information through the Campus Financial Reporting System (CFRS). Contact Scott Stanton if you need refresher training on CFRS or have difficulty .
In closing, I want to acknowledge and thank a number of campus community members for their guidance, insights, and hard work as we crafted a difficult budget in the midst of a pandemic requiring remote operations. As we developed the revenue estimate considering the coronavirus pandemic, numerous faculty lent their expertise by providing planning assumptions across a variety of dimensions. My appreciation goes to Professors Kathleen Adee, Ken Ardon, Darlene Crone-Todd, Drew Darien, Vijay Kanagala, Steven Oliver, Yvonne Vissing and Associate Dean Nicole Harris, as well as colleagues they collaborated with in doing this work. Thanks as well to Assistant Vice President Gene Labonte and Assistant Dean of Students Elisa Castillo for their expertise and assistance regarding the health and safety considerations that informed this budget. In addition, the budget advisory committee’s size was increased. Members highly engaged in weekly meetings this spring to help to inform the choices that went into the budget. These participants include: Professors Kenneth Ardon, Guillermo Avila-Saavedra, Ryan Fisher, Miranda Lam, Marcos Luna, Raminder Luther, Daniel Mulcare, Jeramie Silveira, Kurt von Seekamm; Directors Jon Amari, Jackie Haas, Scott Stanton, Nicolle Wood, Associate Directors Oliver McArdle, Melissa Arroyo; Interim Dean Barbara Layne; Dean Elizabeth McKeigue, Assistant Vice President Quigley; IT Budget and Purchasing Administrator Lorien Sheehan; Accountant II Marisa Curtin and student members Frederick Plante, Gabriela Vargas, Christian Weisse, and Paul Wilkens.
Finally, acknowledgement is also given to campus financial managers, vice presidents, the president, and the board of trustees for supporting the university in the coming year with an approved budget. In establishing the FY 2021 budget, I appreciate the collaboration and dedication by the budget department, notably Jon Amari, Director of Budget and Financial Planning, and Sallyann Lopez, Budget Analyst.
All the best,
Karen P. House, CPA/CGMA
Vice President for Finance and Facilities/CFO
khouse@salemstate.edu