SLIPPERY ROCK — Three budget plans — all with potential deficits — were presented Tuesday at a Slippery Rock University Council of Trustees Finance and Administrative Affairs Committee meeting.

Carrie Birckbichler, vice president for finance and administration, said university leadership will have to continually monitor revenue generators and make adjustments to the budget, as there are many factors to consider.

For instance, first-year student enrollment for the fall 2022 semester could impact budget-planning scenarios. The goal is to have 1,500 incoming students, according to President William Behre.

“Enrollment retention trends, a tuition increase and state appropriation allocation could help us, and if we got more COVID funds (that) could help the additional lost revenue,” Birckbichler said. “We don’t know if there will be a tuition increase ... there are a lot of unknowns out there.”

The comprehensive planning process included a 1% tuition increase, according to Birckbichler. A 2% tuition increase was voted on by council in a previous meeting, but it has not been approved by the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), which voted April 14 to freeze tuition for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year.

“Two percent could generate $142,942,555 in total revenue,” Birckbichler said.

Other solutions for alleviating a deficit could include an analysis of the university’s reserves, scrutinizing hiring and reductions of transfers to the school’s plant fund, Birckbichler said.

Without a tuition increase and factoring in that the state could approve the full budgeting request, the first scenario could have a deficit of $2.33 million.

The second plan assumes the state won’t grant a full request, leaving a deficit of $5.8 million.

The final budgeting scenario, the “worst-case scenario,” according to Birckbichler, showed a potential deficit of $7.52 million.

She added that for most schools, a deficit is common, as enrollment is dropping nationwide.

The finalized budget will be presented in June and go into effect in July.

Following the budget presentation, acting Provost Michael Zieg gave an update on the engineering program, including plans for three new labs and using temporary space in Vincent Science Center for mechanical engineering majors.

Construction for the labs would start following commencement in 2023, Zieg said, with $750,000 in renovation costs to five rooms.