JACKSON, Miss.— Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds says Mississippi’s universities have shaved $91 million from operating expenses, but will still need more state money next fiscal year.
The spending proposal presented to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee on Tuesday seeks state money to replace $66 million in federal stimulus funds that will be lost after this year.
In all, the system has asked for nearly $96 million in additional state funding for the year that begins next July 1.
Bounds said tuition increases brought in an additional $28.2 million last year. He said the $91 million in cost-savings came through various measures, including cutting positions, eliminating programs and combining some campuses’ office operations.
“For every dollar we brought in through tuition, we’ve saved $3.25 in efficiencies,” Bounds said. “Another way to look at this is we’re educating 7,000 additional students at no extra cost to the state because of efficiencies.”
Bounds said Mississippi’s strategies for coping with a tight budget aren’t as severe as those in some surrounding states. He said nearly every contiguous state has more than doubled tuition. He said the only exception is Arkansas.
“We’re experiencing the most difficult economic stress of our lifetime,” Bounds said.
