ST. LOUIS — "Hard decisions down the road" are coming at the University of Missouri-St. Louis after the state on Wednesday froze millions of dollars in funding due to shortfalls created by the coronavirus pandemic, the school's interim chancellor said.
Kristin Sobolik said UMSL is estimating the cuts will mean $4.7 million less in state funding this fiscal year, which ends June 30. The university, which employs about 3,200 faculty and staff, has a roughly $220 million operating budget. Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday froze $180 million in state spending, including $36.5 million in withholdings to the University of Missouri System.
Sobolik didn't say what further actions UMSL might be forced to take. The university has put employees who couldn't work from home, including students, on paid leave through mid-April, she said.
Other moves include the postponement of a multimillion-dollar renovation to the Arts Administration Building, which would allow the Department of Music to move in. It's also put restrictions on hiring, and frozen merit pay increases and travel.
Sobolik said past moves, including the elimination of as many as 85 positions over a two-year period, have given UMSL breathing room, as it's run a surplus for the past three fiscal years.
"That's going to help provide us with a foundation as we head into hard times," Sobolik said. She didn't give totals on reserves.
Other moves will cost UMSL money. It's offering a 45% refund on lodging and food for students who chose to move out. Classes are moving online, including for upcoming summer sessions.
A Business Journal analysis found that UMSL could pay out $3.5 million in housing refunds, though Sobolik said the school is still analyzing the cost.
Dorms are open, though. "We're trying to keep things as calm for students as possible," Sobolik said. "That's their home at this point in time. A lot of students don't have anywhere else to go."
There could be housing consolidation in the future, Sobolik said, as the state and St. Louis County requested information on the facilities, with an eye on housing for first responders or people who need to be isolated. Authorities are eyeing The Dome at America's Center for a makeshift hospital.
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