Minutes of a Regular Meeting, June 22-23, 2004 - Digital Collections

June 22-23, 2004 29230In Spring 2004, the Oklahoma Legislature recognized Cameron’s long-termcommitment to providing access to higher education to the residents of Duncan by approving thedesignation of the Duncan Higher Education Center as a branch campus of Cameron University.In recognition of the new branch campus in Duncan, Cameron received an allocation of$100,000. The elimination of the off-campus fee to Duncan students results in a revenuereduction of approximately $93,000. Thus, the branch allocation results in an essentially evenbudget in Duncan. During the coming year, details regarding the transfer of assets from theDuncan Economic Development Trust Authority to Cameron University will be finalized.Budget PrioritiesAs previously noted, the proposed budget raises minimum salaries for faculty byrank. The increased salary and fringe benefits costs follow:• 33 current assistant professors to $40,000 costs $180,410• 11 current associate professors to $42,000 costs $39,871• 4 professors costs $12,318While the proposed budget includes funds for a merit-based pay increase, the amount and timingof the adjustment will be determined by the level of student enrollment in the Fall semester.Establishing the higher minimum salary levels for faculty, coupled with the plannedmerit salary increase will allow Cameron to be more competitive in attracting and retainingqualified and high performing faculty and staff. Notwithstanding the new minimum salarylevels, Spring faculty recruiting efforts indicate that Cameron is not competitive in manydisciplines. Preliminary results show that eight faculty positions will not be filled due to salaryconstraints.Consistent with committing resources to faculty and staff, the proposed budgetreflects a commitment to Cameron’s aging physical plant. In April 2004, the transformation ofthe old Physical Science building into the CETES facility began. The renovation will becompleted by January 2005, and the new facility will be occupied by the MultiMediaDepartment and CETES staff. The proposed budget contains three positions for CETES,including two new positions for an executive director and support staff member at an annual costof approximately $130,000. Design also has been completed on Cameron Village, the newapartment-style student-housing complex that includes an 8,000-square-foot learning center andhousing to accommodate 240 students. Construction is expected to begin in August 2004 withthe facility ready for occupancy one year later.Educational and General Budget SummaryTotal projected revenue for fiscal year 2005 is $32,964,128. This is comprised of thefollowing:• State appropriations - $18,332,701 (55 percent)• Tuition - $11,740,208 (36 percent)• Student fees - $2,351,750 (7 percent)• Gifts, grants and State program reimbursements - $300,969 (1 percent)• Other income - $238,500 (1 percent)Projected revenues include an increase over fiscal year 2004 funds allocated by the OklahomaState Regents for Higher Education of $346,100 and proposed tuition and E&G fee increasestotaling $763,750.