UF President Bernie Machen predicted another round of budget cuts to come later this year during a question-and-answer session at UF's Student Senate meeting Tuesday.
In reference to the possibility of more UF faculty and staff being fired this year, Machen said additional cuts to UF's budget are likely to occur because he learned earlier that day that state revenues are projected to have declined again for June.
UF's 2008-2009 budget will be $47 million less than last year's. He said it would be difficult to preserve the already dwindling number of faculty and staff from another round of budget cuts.
"With our budget being over 80 percent people, it's not possible to think we would not have additional impact on faculty and staff," he said.
Machen predicted UF would be insulated from making cuts until around December, following national and local elections. Making large cuts to the state's education budget would be "politically unattractive" for lawmakers seeking election in November, he said.
Although questions about socially responsible investing, campus safety and recent scooter restrictions were also addressed, most of the questions, written on note cards before he took the lectern, were related to the budget.
Machen defended his decision to make all colleges and administrative units plan a 6 percent budget cut after one of the cards stated the plan harmed responsible colleges and rewarded irresponsible colleges.
Machen said flat cuts were not meant to single out colleges, but he warned that this strategy could change in the future.
"I tell you, if this thing keeps going, we're going to have to start singling out," he said. "We can't continue to roll everybody back every time there's a budget cut."
Later, the financial questions got a little more personal when Machen was asked to defend taking his $300,000 performance bonus last year.
"That's not state money," Machen said. "It comes out of the hospital. It comes out of athletics, which we all know has oodles of money, but that was done before we got into the budget-cut situation."
Machen was also asked where he sees UF in 10 years.
"I do think we have to solve our financial dilemma," Machen said. "Our faculty are only going to put up with the financial situation for so long."
Nonetheless, Machen said he remains hopeful for UF's future.
"Assuming we can find the resources, we'll be a top 10 university in the next 10 years," he said.
