MUNCIE — Pan demic-related revenue losses at Ball State University have led to a 2020-21 general fund budget that includes 128 job cuts.
While the coronavirus outbreak has caused "significant financial distress" at some schools, Ball State's financial position remains stable, President Geoffrey S. Mearns assured the school's board of trustees recently.
Trustee Rick Hall, chair of the board's finance committee, credited BSU's steadiness to "our culture of financial responsibility, and that starts with your leadership, Geoff."
The $379 million budget, compared to last year's $391 million budget, was adopted by the board of trustees on Sept. 18, but the university didn't release details of the personnel cuts to The Star Press — citing concerns about the context in which they would be reported — until 11 days later.
"The majority of these eliminated positions were vacant, and the strategic elimination of filled positions affected less than 2% of our employees," Ball State spokesperson Kathy Wolf first responded when asked how many positions were being cut, declining to provide actual numbers.
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