Jo Ann Gora has 'grave concerns' about possible Ball State budget cuts

MUNCIE -- Just as she did at this time a year ago, Ball State University President Jo Ann Gora recently delivered some Grinch-like budgetary news to faculty, staff and students.

Last December, the president warned that "difficult decisions lie ahead" after Gov. Mitch Daniels ordered a $150 million cut, a 6-percent decrease, in higher education funding statewide.

That translated into $15.2 million in budget cuts to Ball State over a 15-month period ending on June 30, 2011. The result was $7.8 million in cuts to employee benefits, a continued hiring slowdown/freeze, automatic shutdown of lights and computers, higher student fees, reduced student computer labs, increased summer use of the campus for conferences, promoting the use of free, open-source software, combining small classes and departments and televising fewer or no home sports contests.