Reporter Volume 25, No.16 February 10, 1994

A preliminary analysis of the 1994-95 executive budget points to the
resolution of UB's utility shortfall, and probably enough money to
move the Chemistry Department into the new Natural Sciences Complex
next spring, Senior Vice President for University Services Robert J.
Wagner said last week. 
	"It also looks as IF there will be GRI capital money for space
rehabilitation and selected equipment purchases. There is also the
opportunity again this year to generate and retain income from
enrollment income beyond the budgeted level. However, the elimination
of TAP (Tuition Assistance Plan) for new graduate students will result
in an additional impact on our graduate tuition scholarship
appropriation," Wagner said.
	"For the first year in six years ," Wagner said, "we begin the
1994-95 budget process with a budget that retains the current base and
provides basically all of SUNY's required increases. Unlike past
years, there is no lump-sum reduction recommended in the 1994-95
executive budget.
	"It protects the current base, provides money for negotiated
salary increases and some adjustment for inflationQthat's what we've
been trying to achieve. You can't build and move forward unless you
retain the base. In the past, we were faced with $1- $2- or $5 million
dollar reductions. This is much different than retaining a base of
$210 million and building on that. We're at a point of opportunity
again."
	Wagner detailed implications for the campus in several key
areas:

Utilities
	"We've had a lingering utility appropriation problem, because
of significant costs. That is, even though we've reduced consumption,
costs for utilities have been rising very quickly. Our expectation for
1994-95, however, is that the campus utility shortfall appropriation
will be addressed, so we don't see it as an ongoing problem in
1994-95."

New buildings
	"This summerQprobably starting in the late springQwe will be
relocating the Department of Chemistry from the South to THE North
Campus. That really brings three additional costs to the institution.
First, there is the cost of moving Chemistry, as the laboratory
departments have a significant cost of moving associated with them.
The campus requested about half a million dollars, which is our
estimate for the move. The executive budget provides us with about
$300,000 of that. 
	"Second, we see the additional costs that the new building
will bring, being taken care of as part of the overall utility
appropriation for 1994-95.
	"Third, there will be additional university facility costs in
the areas of cleaning and trades peopleQit's a very complicated
building. There is money included in the executive budget for new
building openings, but these have not been allocated for individual
campuses. 
	"In short, we anticipate funding for a smooth move and expect
that we will have the Chemistry Department relocated and back in full
operation as we start the fall 1994 semester."

GRI
	"The GRI(Graduate Research Initiative) is particularly
important to this campus, even among all the SUNY university centers,
because we are the most comprehensive campus in the system. The
graduate education and research missions here are very large. The $10
million of capital GRI funding for the system is a positive for us. In
the current year, for example, there is $10 million of capital GRI for
the system. We're effectively using our portion of that (38 percent)
for equipment purchases and rehabilitation of space. 
	"But because it is a capital budget item, it cannot be used
for personnel costs. We'd like to see in 1994-95 some GRI operating
funds, which would provide us an opportunity to add selected academic
faculty and support positions to the university, which we think would
move us forward on the agenda of graduate education. 

TAP
	"Last year, the executive budget recommended the elimination
of all new graduate TAP support. But certainly, we would hope to find
a way to restore this program as we did last year. 

Legislative outlook
	There are four SUNY priorities in 1994-95, should additional
monies become available: 1) community college support:; 2) $4 million
statewide to hire additional faculty. This would permit the system to
add additional course sections, particularly at the undergraduate
level, to decrease the time it takes students to graduate. UB would
receive 10-15 of the 100 new full-time lines if enacted. 
	3) The system will also be requesting $3 million for student
support services, such as career counseling, advisement, child care,
etc. 4) The system will be requesting operating funds for GRI. We will
be supporting all of these initiatives, but we're taking a leadership
position regarding GRI. Given the fact that we begin with a stable
base budget as we have for 1994-95, it's really an opportunity to let
the university improve what it's doing. 
	"We will work very hard to ensure that these priorities are on
the legislative agenda for 1994-95. That will begin with a meeting
later this month of the three Western New York presidents: Bill
Greiner, F. C. Richardson of Buffalo State College and Donald A.
MacPhee of Fredonia State, with the WNY legislative delegation."