President's Message, Mar. 2010
Hello colleagues. Recently, I discussed the status of the State of Michigan budget and its potential impact on Muskegon Community College. In this month‘s message, I will continue these discussions along with an update on various issues related to the College.
In mid-February, Governor Granholm released her 2010-11 budget proposal. On the positive side, the budget is "hold harmless" for community colleges. This means that she is again recommending no cuts to community colleges. However, there are no guarantees that this level of funding will remain. While the Governor‘s budget is balanced, the balancing comes from a combination of spending reductions and revenue enhancements (read "tax increases"). There is little appetite in Lansing for tax increases, therefore it is expected that additional spending cuts are forthcoming. Other highlights of the Governor‘s budget impacting community colleges include a yet to be defined early retirement incentive/disincentive as well as recommendations that all state agencies are scheduled for budget reductions, with the exception of education (two-year colleges, universities, and K-12 schools). We will continue to advocate for our students to support robust funding levels and keep you informed.
A detailed analysis of the budget has been prepared by the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency and may be found at this link: http://www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa/Publications/BudUpdates/OverviewGovsRecFY11.pdf.
On other topics, we are pleased to report that the Muskegon County Board of Commission recently approved an extension of Muskegon Area Transportation Services bus service through 10:40 p.m. This means that our students, staff, and faculty will have the ability to reach our campus at times more convenient to them.
As you may know, MCC is examining its on campus security profile. As a part of the review, a request for proposals was recently issued, to which six (6) companies responded. The RFP requests a minimum level of Security Services to include a patrol officer 24/7/365. This minimum is well above our current coverage. The scope of duties also includes a review and continual updates to emergency and evacuation plans. A review committee has begun the process of evaluating each proposal. It is anticipated that a recommendation will be made to the President and final approval by the Board of Trustees no later than April 21, 2010, with an expected contract start date to be July 1, 2010.
Finally, the 2010-11 budget process continues. The information submitted to your office directors/division vice presidents continues to be reviewed. We expect that a draft budget will be submitted to the MCC Board of Trustees at the April board meeting. Your Vice President/Director will communicate with both you and administration/budget during the process. As usual, you may contact my office at 231-777-0303 or via email at: dale.nesbary@muskegoncc.edu.
Please continue to strive for excellence and enjoy the month of March.
Best regards,
Dale Nesbary, Ph.D.
President