Fall presentations prepare ACUP for budget discussions on Dec. 4

Administrators' proposals total millions of dollars; members must begin to choose which will gain priority status

On Dec. 4, members of the Advisory Committee on University Planning (ACUP) will begin considering budget models for the 2001-02 fiscal year. Their recommendation, which will be presented in February to Interim President Sheila Blumstein and the Corporation, will be made with regard to the Corporation's request that the administration present a long-term plan to address the University's priorities.

Brown has "an enormous range of priorities" and no obvious way to pay for them, Provost Kathryn Spoehr, who chairs ACUP, told the committee on Oct. 16. ACUP's budget recommendation will include allocations toward many priorities, she said, but the committee must determine whether such allocations will be made once or are the first of many installments. Members will also have to consider whether to fully fund an initiative, and at the expense of what other priorities, Spoehr said.

ACUP's budget discussions will be shaped by presentations made to the committee throughout the fall semester:

• Wages were the topic of the Nov. 27 presentations. Dean of the Faculty Mary Fennell seeks an additional $1,013,181 for the faculty salary pool to help enhance Brown's "competitive profile" among the Ivies. Fennell also requested another $800,000 for a special salary pool. Roberta Gordon, assistant vice president for human resources, presented survey data that anticipated a 3.75 percent increase in salaries in the educational marketplace in 2001-02. A particular challenge for Brown is hiring and retaining people who work in information technology positions, she noted. At Brown, these positions pay 15 percent below the market average, said Elizabeth Warner, director of compensation. "If we were to bring everyone's salary to what is market level, it would cost $2 million," Warner said.

• Information technology initiatives were discussed at ACUP's Nov. 13 meeting. Don Wolfe, vice president for computer and information services, focused on five in particular: distributed computing; network infrastructure; campuswide services; support and services; and information access. Wolfe seeks a $1-million increase in CIS's base budget, plus a one-time allocation of $500,000, which he said would be used for network security; backup systems; directory services, campus white pages and a replacement for Course Publisher; a University-wide calendaring system; and a campus portal.

• The Campus Life Task Force's Living-Learning Pilot Project was the topic of the Nov. 6 presentation led by Janina Montero, vice president for campus life and student services. ACUP reviewed plans that would transform the first floors of the Emery, Woolley, Morriss and Champlin residence halls into a living-learning "cluster." These halls are already slated for $15 million in renovations, Montero said. Implementing the pilot project on the first floors could cost an additional $2 million, she said.

• Undergraduate financial aid was discussed on Oct. 23. Michael Bartini, director of financial aid, noted that although Brown lacks a need-blind admission policy, it does meet the fully demonstrated financial need of each student who is admitted. To become fully need-blind, the University needs to add at least $4 million and as much as $8 million to its base budget, he said. ACUP members also discussed the Alper Report's long-term proposals for achieving need-blind admissions. The models - an eight-year plan, a 12-year "straight line" plan and a 12-year "accelerated" plan - all require considerable fund raising, the committee was told.

• Graduate financial aid was discussed on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30. Dean of the Graduate School Peder Estrup noted that an addition of approximately $4 million to the base budget is needed to meet Brown's goal to offer all graduate students multi-year support, particularly dissertation fellowships, first-year fellowships and summer stipends.

• On Oct. 30, University Librarian Merrily Taylor reviewed a multiyear plan to raise the Library to the level needed to support Brown's teaching and research. Funding the complete plan would require $3.9 million in new base budget funds, $350,000 in new one-time funds, and approximately $80 million for capital projects. Taylor described the top priorities within that plan. First, implementation of a formula that would provide budget increases and stabilize the Library's financial base. The second priority - regularly upgrading or replacing the Library's desktop computers and software - requires a $110,000 increase in the Library's base budget. Taylor also seeks funds for new positions to meet new service demands.

• At ACUP's Oct. 30 meeting, members of the Undergraduate Finance Board requested a $10 increase in the student activities fee. The increase would raise the the total student activities fee to $124.