Drury officials tight-lipped about $2.3M budget cuts

Drury University is in the middle of outlining $2.3 million in budget cuts, but university officials are trying to keep the financial trimming from becoming a public spectacle.

Weeks after new school President David Manuel was interviewed for Springfield Business Journal’s 12 People You Need to Know breakfast series, where he discussed the reality of declining enrollment figures, Drury’s leader declined to answer questions about the school’s budget shortfall beyond a prepared statement.

Jann Holland, executive director of marketing and communications for the university, said via email fewer than 10 positions have been eliminated through Nov. 27, though 35 positions have been impacted through retirements, job consolidations and holding vacant positions open.

“Out of respect for the individuals whose families were impacted by the workforce reduction, we do not share specifics regarding eliminations,” Holland said by email.

She said the situation is fluid, and some cuts have yet to be determined.

The planned reduction represents 4.3 percent of the school’s $53 million 2013–14 operating budget.

Declining enrollment is driving the action, and Holland said a recent report by KSPR that cited anonymous sources suggesting former President Todd Parnell had mismanaged funds is promoting charges without merit. She said the school is not conducting an investigation into the matter.

“Any comments pertaining to the details of how the university will go about addressing the $2.3 million shortfall are conjecture at this point because no firm decisions have been made. We are looking at every item on the operating budget,” Holland said. “This will be an inclusive process.”

Fall enrollment at Drury this year was 4,649, a 17 percent slide from a record high of 5,625 in 2010.

Total enrollment includes Drury’s traditional day school, the adult evening program, as well as online and graduate programs. Though this year’s day school enrollment of 1,575 is the seventh largest in school history, it is a roughly 6 percent drop from last fall. With annual tuition for undergraduates at $22,835, that decline represents a loss of $2.17 million in operating revenue.

In October, Manuel said total enrollment is down by about 600 students this fall, compared to the same semester last year.

“As economic conditions improve, as people are more gainfully employed, the less likely that they will return to school for a degree. On the other hand, when there’s a downturn, more people go back to school to try to get new skills and attain new professional levels. That’s not uncommon, and we will continue to see that,” Manuel said in the Oct. 15 interview with SBJ Editor Eric Olson.

Drury Board of Trustees Chairman Lynn Chipperfield, a retired Furniture Brands International executive, said enrollment declines are an issue many schools are now facing.

“This is not unique to Drury,” Chipperfield said from his St. Louis home.

Based on national figures, the enrollment shortcomings appear to have hit the private Springfield school harder than others. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, spring 2013 enrollment nationwide was down 2.3 percent compared to spring 2012. Contributing to the enrollment landscape, the number of Missouri high school graduates has declined in recent years. According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Missouri’s high school graduating class peaked in 2009–10 at 70,600 before sliding back by 8.6 percent to 64,500 graduates in 2013–14.

Chipperfield said the board is helping guide Manuel through the process, but it is leaving specific cuts up to its new president and his staff.

“We don’t generally get involved in line items,” Chipperfield said. “We’re leaving it to Manuel. But we don’t take a totally hands-off posture.”

Chipperfield said he speaks with Manuel weekly and more often by email to get updates and discuss concerns. The board’s official position seeks a balanced budget, but it doesn’t want to cut to the point it could damage the core mission.

John Curtis, director of research and public policy for the American Association of University Professors, said budget reductions are a growing concern for many of the group’s 40,000 educators.

He said spending cuts are occurring at a time when institutions of higher education are shifting away from tenured positions in favor of hiring part-time and limited-term contract instructors to boost bottom lines, leaving many teachers feeling particularly exposed.

In the process of making necessary cuts, Curtis said teachers should be involved to ensure a school’s quality of education is not impacted.

“What’s important is that they’re involved in all phases of the process,” Curtis said. “Cuts definitely have an impact on students.

“Teachers need to be the prime voice when weighing decisions that affect curriculum and instruction.”

To that end, Chipperfield said he knows Manuel has met with faculty both in town hall meetings and individually to collect feedback. The board chairman also said he was aware of the broad accusations in the KSPR report but did not feel they warranted action from the board.

“We don’t respond to anonymous allegations. I can tell you that what I know of them, the allegations are totally without any foundation,” he said.

As for Drury’s teachers, it is unclear how they feel about the proposed cuts.

Political science professor Elizabeth Paddock, Drury’s chapter president for the American Association of University Professors, declined to be interviewed. Christina Gilstrap, an associate professor of communications and member of the Faculty Affairs Committee, and Tom Russo, director of study abroad programs and member of the Faculty Review Board, did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.

In a statement provided to SBJ, Manuel said the cuts are an internal matter.

“As we have always done throughout the university’s 140-year history, we will work together to identify ways to adjust the budget while staying true to our most fundamental mission of providing outstanding learning experiences for our students. The process for addressing the budget challenge is inclusive and I have invited input from faculty and staff. We, like many private liberal arts institutions and businesses throughout the country, are working through a budget challenge. We will work through this challenge with an eye toward the future, keeping the student experience paramount,” Manuel said.