Message from the Associate Dean and Extension Director
In response to questions received following my comments in the 11 February 2020 edition of Tuesday Morning Notes regarding a budget update for the Cooperative Extension System (CES), I need to clarify and emphasize a few key points.
First, to summarize a few points from the 11 February message:
• The CES has a fixed core budget or operational base budget (OBB).
• Additional costs from the UA central administration are impacting our OBB, reducing our
capacity to invest directly in the CES workforce.
• We do not have access to revenues from within the UA budgeting system.
Secondly, a few points in response to some common questions:
• We do not have any plans to take or “sweep” any of the discretionary funds that exist in any of
the county or academic units.
• We are vigorously encouraging county and academic units to utilize discretionary funds at the
unit level.
• There are no plans to cut or eliminate existing positions or personnel.
• We do face the immediate prospects of not replacing some faculty positions vacated due to
retirements or departures.
• We do not have the luxury of adding new programs or positions without reducing the CES
workforce in some other area.
• We must consider all faculty replacement hires in a strategic manner.
• We continue to seek new and/or increased sources of additional funding for our OBB.
We must be extremely careful with the management of our resources and find ways to get the most impact from what we spend.
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The 12th of February was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and I offer the following quote as a good example of his wisdom:
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Abraham Lincoln,16th President of the United States
