To all UMW faculty and staff:
As promised, I am reporting back to you with more specifics about the state budget situation. We now have learned that the state has imposed on each public institution of higher education a budget reduction of 5 percent this fiscal year and 7 percent for 2015-16. Obviously, a cut of this magnitude will have a significant impact on our operations.
In addition to the hiring freeze already announced, I have asked all members of my cabinet to propose additional areas of budget savings. I have asked them to think creatively and act boldly, striving to cause as little disruption to services as possible. Because the academic enterprise is at the center of all that we do, we will also engage faculty leadership in this budget reduction exercise. All members of the UMW community will need to make sacrifices and find imaginative uses for limited resources. None of this will be easy, but I feel confident that UMW will emerge as a stronger, more focused institution as we work through the current situation together.
I continue to be grateful for your hard work and support of the University’s goals. Thank you for helping us work through these budget challenges while maintaining our commitment to educational excellence.
Sincerely,
Richard V. Hurley
President
