Correction appended
Despite Monday's release of details concerning financial aid and layoffs which together account for $10 million of the $100-million total budget reduction several other aspects of the budget will be developed between now and the April Board of Trustees meeting, the College announced in a press release Monday.
The budget plan approved by the Board of Trustees this weekend finds $25 million in savings in "administrative reorganization and restructuring," the largest single segment of the proposed cutback, according to the release. The specific details of the planned changes have not yet been released, however.
In an e-mail to the Dartmouth community, Kim wrote that the administrative improvements will focus on "facilities management, construction, procurement, information technology, research administration and finance."
These adjustments in administrative organization will ultimately lead to structures that are both "more efficient" and "more student-friendly," Kim said in a Monday press conference.
One component of the plan will seek to streamline students' advising resources, Kim said.
"We think that will not only be less expensive but that it will actually work better for students," he said. "Rather than having them ping-pong ball' between multiple offices, we're going to transport them all to the same place."
Although such changes cannot not be achieved in three months, Kim said, these gradual improvements will bring long-term savings to the College.
Another way to promote efficiency is to change some of the ways the College procures its materials, Kim said. He cited an example involving the College's purchase of items like trash bags, toilet paper and paper towels.
By purchasing these materials through "a single mechanism as opposed to multiple mechanisms," the College will save several hundred thousand dollars, Kim said. Kim said such a change shows the detail with which administrators are looking at the College's administrative structures.
Kim outlined a division between the administration and other behind-the-scenes programs which he labeled "back-of-the-house" issues and academics and research, which are at the "front of the house." Changing elements "at the back of the house," Kim said, will not take away from the student experience.
"Where the magic really happens will be ever more enhanced because you're not going to have to worry about being slowed down by the back of the house," Kim said.
Within the realm of administrative reorganization, Kim outlined in the e-mail that the College will work to make a "more efficient and greener Dartmouth" with improved energy efficiency, maintenance and recycling programs.
Kim did not give a specific outline for the portion of the budget plan labeled as "program reductions," which the College expects will yield a $14-million reduction, in the press conference.
"We can't give you the exact details for lots of different reasons including people who are laid off and other kinds of issues but we have looked at every single program, every single area, including the President's office," Kim said. "We have targeted reductions in each of those areas and what we can tell you again is that we tried to be as strategic as possible."
Kim said that "there are still some details to be worked out" in many of the areas.
In terms of obtaining "other revenues," Kim and administrators announced an increase in their goal for donations to the Dartmouth College Fund, Kim said in the e-mail. The College is also receiving increased federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program for research programs at the College, he said.
Kim also declined to provide specific details for the category labeled "other savings and revenues" that accounts for $29 million in savings, which includes increased funding from donations and revenue-generating initiatives, according to the press release.
Athletic programs will not be eliminated in the course of cuts, Kim said, noting that the College maintains the highest number of varsity teams per student in the Ivy League.
"It's a difficult thing to support all these teams, but we are not making any major cuts to teams," Kim said. "We are just working very hard to try to find creative ways of supporting them."
The College will examine models used by other institutions to support athletics, Kim said.
"We are hoping once again that our [alumni] and others will step up," Kim said. "It is just a fact that the number of varsity teams per capita is very high."
While the administration sought student input on budget cuts, student contributions only began in the "last few weeks," Senior Vice President Steven Kadish said.
"Many student suggestions were about what not to do, as opposed to suggestions about where they thought there could be savings," Kadish said. "And that's perfectly appropriate."
All elements of the budget plan presented to the Board were focused on ensuring that the College maintain its commitment to academics, Kim said.
"I think the Board [was] very concerned that we remain true to the academic mission, and they were very concerned that the quality of the educational experience was not compromised," Kim said. "I think they walked out feeling confident that, in fact, the educational experience would be preserved and that we had done this in a way that was strategic but also humane."
In response to a question about the impact of budget cuts on the Upper Valley community, Kim said it would be at a "minimum," particularly because of the speed with which the College has decided to make its cuts.
With the budget reductions completed quickly, the College will soon be able to move towards the type of growth that will create new jobs in the near future, Kim said.
The process of making the budget cuts resonates with the larger mission of the College, Kim said.
"Our solemn commitment is to build an institution that creates a whole army of young people who will make the world a better place," he said. "I think we have done the best we possibly could in achieving those multiple goals being financially responsible, being strategic and mission-focused and being fair and compassionate."
