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TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
WKU faces growing budget deficit BY EMILY DELETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
President Timothy Caboni estimated that WKU could have a budget deficit of almost $40 million, if statewide budget cuts proposed by Gov. Matt Bevin go into effect. WKU would lose $4.6 million a year from state funding, which would go on top of the more than $15 million deficit the university has already acquired, according to a statement from the university. In a meeting with College Heights Herald editors, Caboni said there will be difficult decisions that have to be made, including looking at
a “reduction of staff.” “I want to be clear, these are going to be incredibly difficult conversations during the next several months,” Caboni said. “They have significant implications for programs, some programs, but more importantly, will affect individuals and their families.” An increase in the statewide pension obligation for WKU would also add $9 million to the budget deficit. Bevin has previously stated that pensions will be
fully funded, with an addition of $1.1 billion going into the pension system. “A $40 million lift for an institution of this size is five times the magnitude of any reduction we’ve experienced,” Caboni said. “Eight million dollars is the largest cut the institution has negotiated through.” WKU has previously used one-time dollars to temporarily cover the shortfall, but Caboni said this method was “not sustainable or a recipe for long-
VOLUME 93, ISSUE 01
ILLUSTRATION BY CRAIG OSTERTAG & SAM FLICK PHOTO BY KATHRYN ZIESIG• HERALD
term success.” Last semester, carryforward funds were used to attempt to cover the budget deficit. Administrators said they must deal with a decrease in international enrollment, furthering the budget deficit and shift their focus to other types of student enrollment. Ann Mead, senior vice president for finance and administration, said the current deficit is due to enrollment issues. The WKU Office of Institutional Research reported that 17,215 students were enrolled during the fall 2017 semester, which was a three percent drop from the fall 2016 semester. In an email, Mead said an additional $10 million is being counted toward
SEE BUDGET • PAGE A2
Construction complete on Ogden College Hall BY NICOLE ZIEGE HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
Ogden College Hall opened its doors Monday for its first semester of classes after construction was completed in mid-December and faculty and staff moved into their offices over winter break. The $32.2 million Ogden Hall is about 80,000 square feet, four stories tall and provides about 36 new laboratory spaces. Construction for the new facility had no delays, Chief Facilities Officer Bryan Russell said. “This is the exact schedule we had, so really it went very well,” Russell said. “It is a great building for our students. It is providing just brand new teaching spaces.” The new facility replaced Thompson
Complex North Wing, which was the laboratory building built in 1960 and taken down in 2015. Funding for the renovation project including Ogdentotaled around $48 million and came from money allocated by the state, Russell said. Owensboro freshman and business data analytics major Shelby Wathen works as a receptionist at Ogden Hall. Wathen said the facility “has a very fresh vibe.” “It’s like a pair of white sneakers that you don’t want to wear out because you know they’re going to get dirty,” Wathen said. “I really like the building because it’s new and different from all the other ones.” Erlanger freshman and chemistry major Hana Floyd has a chemistry lab in Ogden Hall this semester. SEE OGDEN COLLEGE • PAGE A2
MICHAEL BLACKSHIRE • HERALD
The new Ogden Science Building has been in the works for the past three years and is now open to the public. Professors and staff have moved into their new classrooms over the past few weeks and students, many without ever seeing inside the building before hand, will go to class the first week of class inside a new chapter of Ogden on WKU’s campus.