Baylor University is cutting $65 to $80 million from its budget for the fiscal year that starts June 1, anticipating a dip in enrollment due to the coronavirus.
Baylor President Linda Livingstone’s announcement Tuesday is one of the first disclosures from a major Texas university that it is slashing spending in response to the pandemic. In a statement, Livingstone said the virus has slowed the private universityโs income and increased studentsโ dependence on financial aid.
โIn other words, most of our previously reliable sources of revenue, tuition, research grants and contracts, fundraising and income from our investments and endowment will almost certainly be significantly affected,โ Livingstone said in a statement.
Jason Cook, a spokesperson for the university, said it is too early to know what cuts will be made, but they will stretch across the entire university, including โcolleges, schools, administrative units and athletics.โ
Cook said the university will prioritize the well-being of its 17,000 students.
โThat will be the next step in the process,โ Cook said.
He said the school is particularly dependent on enrollment to keep its budget balanced.
โAs a private university, our top revenue source is tuition, and weโre starting to see various surveys and studies that are projecting a decline in enrollment for universities across the country this fall,โ Cook said. โAnd weโve also noticed some slowdowns in other revenue streams such as fundraising.โ
Cook said the school hasnโt seen any changes in enrollment so far but is expecting a drop in enrollment for the fall. But the dip wonโt cripple the school, he said.
โI would characterize the situation as the university is taking proactive measures to ensure not that Baylor survives, but rather the university is in a position to thrive once the pandemic has been resolved.โ
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