Recast | College Budget Update
From: “Carmichael, John” <CarmichJ@evergreen.edu>
Date: Monday, April 12, 2021 at 10:00 AM
I am writing to provide an update regarding budget work currently underway at the college. You may have read that state revenues are projected to be better than was expected, and this has allowed the Governor to end the furlough program for state employees before June 30. There’s good news in this for Evergreen, because we have worried that we might have to confront large reductions in state support at the same time we are facing further declines in enrollment.
Evergreen’s enrollment challenges still create a significant budget problem for the college, which means we will need to continue our furlough program at least through June when the current fiscal year ends. The enrollment situation remains uncertain for Evergreen. The COVID-19 pandemic adds a level of unpredictability to this situation as higher education institutions try to project what prospective students will do this fall. The pandemic’s effect on low-income and historically underserved students is especially pronounced and these students are many of the student’s we serve.
The most recent federal pandemic relief bill helps students and the college. We expect to receive approximately $5.1 million for student aid and $5.1 million in institutional support. This will help us temporarily cover some of the revenue lost due to the drop in enrollment.
For the past few years, we have been focused on improving the college’s enrollment situation. Our continued work on Paths of Study, New Academic Directions, and some intensive high school outreach hold promise for future enrollment. In the meantime, we need to continue curtailing spending so that these initiatives have time to bear fruit. We will need to reduce Evergreen’s budget over the coming biennium. At this moment, the college spends more money than it takes in. We cannot continue to do so indefinitely.
Our current forecast indicates that we need to reduce the college’s operating budget over the next two years. To this end, our budget coordinators are modeling reduction scenarios at 10, 15 and 20 percent levels. Budget reduction scenarios in some fee-supported areas are higher. These scenarios are initial inputs into an iterative process of developing the budget.
There will be at least one campus forum later in Spring Quarter, and we will continue to update you on the progress of the budget development process. We will provide an update the Board of Trustees at their May meeting before asking the Board to adopt a spending plan in June.
In the meantime, we appreciate the dedication that staff and faculty have demonstrated as we learn to operate as a smaller college. If you have specific ideas for cost savings or revenue enhancements, please share those with your budget coordinator or bring them to the attention of your divisional leaders.
The most important action we can take to ensure Evergreen’s future is to provide a good experience for the students we serve today. Thank you for your work in support of Evergreen and our students. Thanks especially to the staff, faculty, and students serving as members of the Core Budget Team, the Resource Allocation Advisory Committee, and divisional Budget Coordinators. The membership of these groups is listed below.
John Carmichael
The Evergreen State College
Vice President
for Finance and Operations
Core Budget Team Members
The Core Budget Team provides support to the budget coordinators and senior leadership in developing and managing the college’s operating budget, and other budgets.
| Holly Joseph |
| John Carmichael |
| Laura Coghlan |
| Andrew Corn |
| Dave Kohler |
| David McAvity |
| Tina Pearson |
| Amy Placette |
| Trevor Speller |
Budget Coordinators & Core Budget Team Liaison
Budget Coordinators work at the divisional level providing support to the vice president and budget managers in budget development and management.
| Division | Budget Coordinator | Core Budget Team Liaison |
| Student & Academic Life | Trevor Speller, Andy Corn | Trevor Speller, David McAvity, Andy Corn |
| Finance & Operations | Laura Coghlan | Laura Coghlan |
| IESS | Andy Corn | Andy Corn |
| College Advancement | Abby Kelso | Laura Coghlan |
| Enrollment Services | Eric Pedersen | Laura Coghlan |
| Marketing & Communications | Sandy Kaiser | Laura Coghlan |
| Longhouse | Laura VerMeulen | Trevor Speller |
| President’s Office | Susan Harris | Holly Joseph |
RAAC – Resource Allocation Advisory Committee Members
The RAAC considers the impact of the proposed budget scenarios from multiple perspectives, weighing the impacted of the proposed scenarios and options on the college’s mission and values, identifying unintended consequences and opportunities to mitigate the impact of reductions.
| Holly Joseph, co-chair |
| David McAvity, co-chair |
| Lucky Anguelov, faculty member |
| Debbie Miles, staff |
| Ralph Murphy, faculty member |
| Ken Tabbutt, faculty member |
| Ivana Trottman, staff |
| Trygve Vandal, student |
| Sarah Williams, faculty member |
