CC tightens belt, cuts budget

As a result of the reduced funds available from Columbia University’s endowment in light of the financial crisis, Columbia College will take various measures to reduce its budgetary expenses, such as a slight increase in the student-to-faculty ratio.

The cuts across the board were first publicly announced on Jan. 28 in a campus-wide e-mail signed by University President Lee Bollinger that announced portfolio losses of 15 percent over the six-month period ending on Dec. 31, 2008. In the message, Bollinger asked each budget unit of the University to expect an eight percent decrease in funds from the endowment over the next fiscal year. “Let there be no doubt, we still have to face hard choices in the months ahead,” he wrote, adding later, “Hopefully, by accepting and planning for this new reality, we will be in a position to move forward in strength.”

The degree to which the eight percent cut would be felt relies on each budget unit’s dependence on the endowment to support operations. Until now, known measures to decrease costs across the University have included a hiring review board, a delay in the implementation of CourseWorks’s successor, Sakai, and the postponement of faculty hiring searches. When asked in interviews, University administrators largely declined to mention further specific cuts, stating that they would be varied across schools, departments, and offices.

In a February interview, University Provost Alan Brinkley insisted that these budgetary adjustments would not amount to a “step backwards” in the quality of University services. “It’s just not taking a step forward,” he said.

But some of the changes the College is considering could affect key areas of both student and faculty life.

For example, the student-to-faculty ratio for the coming year is expected to increase to 9:1 from the 2009 level of 8.6:1. A University statement released to Spectator pointed out that, even after the expected increase, the figure will remain below its 1999 level of 10:1.

“This small change will be offset by an increase in overall faculty participation in undergraduate instruction,” the statement said. By now, all faculty hired within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences must teach undergraduates.

Additionally, though the University does not “expect that class size will be affected in any significant way,” the number of first-year classes with 20 students or fewer is expected to fall from 57 percent to 55 percent. But the number of first-year classes with 25 students of fewer, which currently makes up 72 percent of the approximately 1,400 classes taken by first-year Columbia College students, is expected to remain the same.

According to the statement, “resource reallocations within the Arts and Sciences” and “marginal reductions to administrative expenses across the college” will enable Columbia College to cut costs while maintaining the quality of student life. For example, the statement suggested that some staff positions may be left vacant in order to reduce spending.

“Staff vacancies due to natural attrition may produce salary savings, but key positions will still be filled as recommended by a hiring committee,” the statement said. Despite the changes being made to the college’s spending, the statement said that financial aid would not be compromised. Funding for student advising will also remain at the current level.

According to the statement, Columbia College “will sustain the recent enhancement of student financial aid for both new and continuing students” and will set aside additional funds to “replace family contributions that are likely to decrease in the current economy.”

Additionally, in March, Kevin Shollenberger, CC/SEAS dean of student affairs and associate vice president for undergraduate life, e-mailed students about addition of 50 students to the incoming Columbia College class of 2013. Though the enrollment increase was part of a longer-term plan to increase the size of the Columbia College—in fact, the overall number was tempered due to the inability to raise funds for a new dormitory over previous years—interviews with administrators have since revealed that the hike is expected to make about $1 million after renovation costs are adjusted.

Robert McCaughey, a history professor at Barnard College and author of Stand, Columbia, speculated that this enrollment increase is an effective way to offset the endowment losses.
“They [the administration] are making several kinds of moves instead of just doubling the size of all classes, cutting faculty, or increasing tuition,” McCaughey said. “Some modest changes on both sides of the equation seem appropriate.”