2008 Woodie Awards
Budget OKd, SIUE gets funding boost
$100K School of Dental Medicine plan vetoed
Megan McClure
Issue date: 8/28/07 Section: News
Nearly two months after the beginning of the fiscal year, the state of Illinois has a budget.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a $50.7 billion budget Thursday, bringing an end to the months of debates surrounding the state's finances - almost.
When reviewing the budget passed Aug. 10 by the General Assembly, the governor line-item vetoed $463 million in spending. According to Dave Gross, executive assistant for government affairs for the office of the president of Southern Illinois University, the items vetoed will be reviewed by the legislature in coming weeks.
"That's the next step in the budget process," Gross said.
Among the vetoed items was a $100,000 initiative for equipment for the SIU School of Dental Medicine.
"It was not part of their regular appropriation," SIUE Budget Director Bill Winter said. "It was funding for specific things they needed."
SIUE did, however, receive a 1.9 percent increase in its operating budget, adding slightly more than $1.1 million to the university's funds.
To compensate for lack of funding after the July 1 start of the new fiscal year, the state issued temporary funds for the month of July.
"We got that to help us supplement our spending in July," Winter said.
The university's finances are derived from two sources: state allocations and tuition revenue. The portion of the budget signed by the governor is now in effect and applies to university operating costs and salaries.
"The way we understand it is the university's budget is in place up to that threshold," Gross said.
In addition to the funding increase, the budget includes three grants for SIUE. The first, a $2.1 million state grant, will apply to operations and support for the School of Pharmacy. The other two grants, totaling $4 million, are for the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, located in University Park.
"We're pleased with whatever increase in funding we can get," Winter said.
The four-step budget process began nearly 11 months ago, when the university filed its funding request in October to be used in the Illinois Board of Higher Education's recommended budget. The IBHE request was part of the governor's recommended budget, submitted to the legislature March 7.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a $50.7 billion budget Thursday, bringing an end to the months of debates surrounding the state's finances - almost.
When reviewing the budget passed Aug. 10 by the General Assembly, the governor line-item vetoed $463 million in spending. According to Dave Gross, executive assistant for government affairs for the office of the president of Southern Illinois University, the items vetoed will be reviewed by the legislature in coming weeks.
"That's the next step in the budget process," Gross said.
Among the vetoed items was a $100,000 initiative for equipment for the SIU School of Dental Medicine.
"It was not part of their regular appropriation," SIUE Budget Director Bill Winter said. "It was funding for specific things they needed."
SIUE did, however, receive a 1.9 percent increase in its operating budget, adding slightly more than $1.1 million to the university's funds.
To compensate for lack of funding after the July 1 start of the new fiscal year, the state issued temporary funds for the month of July.
"We got that to help us supplement our spending in July," Winter said.
The university's finances are derived from two sources: state allocations and tuition revenue. The portion of the budget signed by the governor is now in effect and applies to university operating costs and salaries.
"The way we understand it is the university's budget is in place up to that threshold," Gross said.
In addition to the funding increase, the budget includes three grants for SIUE. The first, a $2.1 million state grant, will apply to operations and support for the School of Pharmacy. The other two grants, totaling $4 million, are for the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, located in University Park.
"We're pleased with whatever increase in funding we can get," Winter said.
The four-step budget process began nearly 11 months ago, when the university filed its funding request in October to be used in the Illinois Board of Higher Education's recommended budget. The IBHE request was part of the governor's recommended budget, submitted to the legislature March 7.
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