Veritas, Vol. 15, No. 30, April 28, 1975

              University’s Financial Situation
Discussed at Faculty Meeting
At the regular semester faculty meeting called by President Stanford and held in conjunction with the emergency faculty meeting called by the Faculty Senate April 18, those attending heard reports on the University’s current financial situation from President Stanford and from Dr. Bennett Sallman, chairman of the budget committee of the Faculty Senate, and a brief address by Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees Stuart Patton.
President Stanford said the University will be entering the next fiscal year, beginning June 1, with an estimated $1.5
million deficit carried forward from the current year, a four percent estimated decline in enrollment, and no way of knowing how inflationary trends may escalate fixed costs.
Because of these factors, Dr. Stanford said the Board of Trustees has mandated a balanced operating budget for the next year, calling for a reduction of $1.7 million below the current operating budget of $62 million.
Since all possible measures to cut the budget had already been taken, Dr. Stanford said that to accomplish this
reduction, 10 percent of the administrative and clerical staff will be notified of their termination, effective June 1. He commented that this is the first time in his academic career he has been forced to ask that competent people be terminated, and the first time since he became president of this university that he has been unable to provide increases for faculty salaries.
While the Trustees rejected salary increases for faculty or other personnel, they did agree to review the possibility of increases after final enrollment figures are in for the fall semester, Dr. Stanford said.
veritas
Volume 15, Number 30	April 28, 1975
^________________
Four Commencement Ceremonies To Honor 2,000 UM Graduates
With approximately 2,000 candidates for degrees, the University will hold four commencement ceremonies for its graduates this semester and President Stanford, who will preside at all four, will honor the graduates, their families and friends at the traditional President’s Reception Saturday, May 3, from 4 to 6 p.m., in the Lowe Art Museum.
Commencement speakers will include two governors, Reubin O’D. Askew of
News Bureau Continues, Public Relations Eliminated
As reported in The Miami Hurricane, the Public Relations Office of the University will be eliminated as of June 1. However, the News Bureau, which has been a separate entity within the Public Relations Office, will continue its function as liaison between the University and the local and national news media. With few exceptions, responsibilities of the various members of the Public Relations Office will be undertaken by other members of the Division of Development Affairs.
News of the schools of Medicine and Marine and Atmospheric Science will continue to be reported by the Public Information Officers of those schools.
Florida and Meldrim Thomson, Jr. of New Hampshire, Attorney General of the United States Edward H. Levi, all of whom will receive the honorary Doctor of Laws degree, and Mrs. Albert Lasker, cofounder of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, who will receive the Doctor of Science degree.
Honorary degrees will also be conferred on Sister Mary Dorothy Browne, O.P., president emeritus of Barry College, who will receive the Doctor of Laws; and David Ewen, distinguished author of books on music and musicians, Doctor of Music.
Governor Askew will address candidates from the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Sciences at ceremonies starting at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 4, in the Miami Beach Auditorium. Sister Dorothy will be honored during this exercise. The Rev. Henry N. F. Minich of the Episcopal Church Center will give the invocation and Rabbi Mayer Abramowtiz of Temple Menorah, the benediction.
Governor Thomson will address candidates of the undergraduate schools, also on Sunday May 4, in ceremonies starting at 4:30 p.m. in the Miami Beach Auditorium. Mr. Ewen will be honored at this time. The invocation will be given by Father Jack Totty, of St. Augustine
(continued on page 2)
Louise Mills Honored
Louise Mills, an assistant student personnel dean who began her career as undergraduate student assistant to the dean of women at the University more than 20 years ago, was honored April 23 by the UM chapter of Mortar Board as its “Distinguished Woman-1975.”
Mrs. Mills has been a member of Mortar Board, the top national honor society for women, since 1965 when women who had been members of Nu Kappa Tau at the UM were initiated into Mortar Board.
Mrs. Mills serves as advisor to the Panhellenic Council, Alpha Lambda Delta freshman woman’s honor society, Mortar Board and other organizations.
Both President Stanford and Dr. Sallman presented extensive figures documenting their viewpoints which space limitations prevent Veritas from reporting.
Dr. Stanford paid tribute to Dr. Sallman and his committee for their work in researching problems of the budget and thanked them for their recommendations.
The Senate Budget Committee urged that consideration be given to reducing costs in the following areas:
•	Auxiliary enterprises
t Administrative personnel
•	Support of the medical school
•	Unsponsored research
•	Intercollegiate athletics
The committee’s proposal to raise only faculty salaries, by means of a three-year budget projecting deficits for the first two years and possibly balancing out in the third, was also opposed by Dr. Stanford on the grounds that if raises were possible, all personnel of the University should be included.
The Trustees, he said, are committed to raising a total of $2.5 million next year, $1 million for operating costs and $1.5 million to go toward retiring plant and other indebtedness accumulated over the past 10 years. A total of $25 million is being sought in unrestricted gifts for these purposes, to be pledged within the next two years, and paid by the end of five years, Dr. Stanford said.
He quoted Edward Fogg, trustee chairman of the campaign, as saying that the Trustees would find it difficult to raise funds in the community if it were known that the University was operating on a planned deficit basis.
Vice Chairman Patton, who with Max Orovitz, chairman of the Board’s executive committee, attended the meeting, pointed out that while the Trustees raised more than $100 million for the University over the past 11 years, very little of this sum, either given or committed, was in unrestricted gifts which could be used for operating costs.
The challenge to the Board, he said, is tremendous, especially in these times when corporations and industries, both locally and across the country, are facing the same financial problems as this and other universities.
“We are just as sincere and eager as you are to see this great faculty well paid,” Mr. Patton said. “We have made no proposal to reduce salaries; we are working only to keep the University alive and healthy.” He urged the faculty to maintain confidence in themselves and in the administration and to think in terms of the total university, including the plight of the janitors in the buildings.