Dear Friends,
Things on the Colorado State University campus are returning to normal as we dig our way out of the first major snowstorm of the season. Campus was closed early on Oct. 28 to allow for safe travel home, but we were back up and running (and digging) the next day. For students and faculty members new to Colorado, our wild weather extremes -- from blizzard to balmy -- always takes a little getting used to!
We were able to hold our Fall Faculty/Staff meeting on Oct. 27 before inclement weather set in. During the meeting, I presented an overview of College finances and described budget planning scenarios as we face continued cuts to the state portion of our revenues. For fiscal year 2011, we are planning cuts of 6 percent. Over the next several years, we are estimating an approximate cut of 17 percent total.
State appropriations for the College account for 8.7 percent of our total budget (FY 2009-10). I am confident that the College has planned prudently for these cuts, and in a manner that will enable us to maintain momentum and be positioned to rebound as the economy improves in the coming years.
We have numerous other revenue streams that, due to the continued efforts of faculty and staff members, help to shore up our finances in these challenging times. These include tuition for the Professional Veterinary Medical Program, Veterinary Teaching Hospital and ARBL revenues, service charges for the Diagnostic Medicine Laboratory, gifts, and research. While some of these numbers are down, our diverse revenue base provides a cushion against state cuts that could otherwise have an even greater impact on our programs.
If you would like to have a copy of the Faculty/Staff fall meeting PowerPoint presentation with the financial overview for the College, send me an e-mail at Lance.Perryman@colostate.edu and I will send you a PDF file.
During the Fall meeting, I also touched on the state of the College’s capital campaign. Our College goal is $100 million and we are more than 92 percent of the way there with three more years to go in the public portion of the seven-year campaign. The total University goal is $500 million, with $298.06 million raised to date.
In other news, on Nov. 19 I’ll be attending the Colorado Cattleman’s Association annual meeting to talk about career opportunities for students interested in food animal and rural veterinary medicine. I also continue to work on the search committee for the position of Provost and Executive Vice President. The closing date for applications and recommendations is Nov. 9 at which point we will begin the initial review process.
In closing, I’d like to wish each of you an early happy Thanksgiving and hope you are able to celebrate the holiday in gratitude with family and friends.
Best Regards,
Dr. Lance Perryman
Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
