Madelain Tigano
“This is a battle and maybe even a war. But it should not be a battle or a war with ourselves. It should be with the economy,” PJC President Dr. Ed Meadows said during a state of the college address Feb. 20 during All College Day. “Everyone at the college, in Pensacola, Florida, America, and the world is in the same boat.”
Meadows outlined a 14-point plan to deal with any further cuts in funding by the state. Layoffs were last on his prioritized list.
In June 2008, the legislation cut PJC’s budget of $52 million by $1 million, then again in January by 4 percent, for a total of $2.4 million in the 2008-09 school year. There is talk the legislation will cut funding again by 2 percent in March, which will take another estimated $700,000 out of PJC’s budget.
“We’re going to make it this year, that’s not what we need to worry about. We need to worry about how we are going to make it next year,” Meadows said. “We need to plan for the worst and hope for the best.”
The bigger crisis could be yet to come and administrators are planning in advance for a possible 10 to 15 percent cut in July, which will reduce PJC’s budget anywhere from $3 million to more than $5 million for the start of the next school year.
Meadows got the heads up at a Tallahassee conference, where all 28 Florida community college presidents were present and indicated, they too, were out of money. �
“Everyone in the world is worried about finance,” Meadows said. “The one thing to do, is for everyone (at PJC) to continue to do their jobs, like they’ve been doing, and not to worry about finance.”
Meadows message was in contrast to a campus-wide e-mail sent a month earlier that suggested a reduction in force that would affect all areas of the college.
“There are many other things that are going to be looked at first; it would be the last resort, for someone to lose their job,” said Gean Ann Emond, vice president of business affairs.
Managing PJC’s financial crisis
The college has already made the required cuts this year through a combination of a small increase in tuition and enrollment and attrition in staffing.
“One of the things that helped this year was student fees. By having a few more student fee dollars, we didn’t have to go find cuts,” Emond said. �
Tuition is key revenue for PJC and could go up 8 percent in July if the legislature approves the measure.
A reduction in force in mostly staff positions has been in place since June 2008, with 30 full time and 24 Keegan temporary positions left unfilled. The positions, lost through retirement or resignation, have been absorbed through reorganization of remaining staff. A hiring freeze is also in effect.
Several other cost-saving measures have been implemented.
“We are trying to computerize and modernize so we can do away with paper and printing, because it costs us a lot of money,” Meadows said.
Travel has been curtailed and the college will conduct just one commencement ceremony per school year. A new energy savings program will be continued and improved on.
“Our mail room and the mail processes at the college have taken on big changes that are saving us a quite a bit of money,” Emond said. �
The mail room uses computer technology, and a handy staff, to make mailing on campus easier and affordable for PJC.
“We are trying to get all the departments to use bulk mail,” said Robert Seay, mail room central services supervisor. “Enrollment and continuous education use it almost religiously.”
Bulk mail was introduced to PJC’s mail center in November 2008, and is a cheaper way to volume mail items. With bulk mail, a single letter cost 11.8 cents compared to the 42 cents a normal letter would cost.
“We have worked and worked, trying to come up with strategies that (PJC’s) departments can actually do, to have the least impact on the students,” Emond said.
Planning for the worst of times
For any future budget cuts, larger class sizes and the elimination of low enrollment programs are being looked at by administrators.
Also under consideration are furloughs – unpaid time off – and across the board salary cuts.
The college will also offer a retirement incentive package to eligible employees.
Reducing printing costs by replacing products like course schedules and college catalogs with digital versions will also be implemented.
When the Learning Resource Center moves back to its renovated building, PJC is looking to bring back the Pirates’ Galley to generate sales. The vending machines on campus also produce revenue.
Meadows continues to have faith in PJC and believes that “collectively we will rise to the occasion of continuing the traditions for what PJC is known for.”