October 17, 2008

Voluntary Cuts: New Tactic to Preserve State Support

By Paul Fain

 

Higher education has a bull's-eye on its back when state budgets are lean, leading to unpredictable tuition spikes and shaky long-term planning.

But budget seasons have been less uncertain at the University System of Maryland, where leaders have taken a different approach: voluntarily paring back costs. Their efforts are paying off, in more ways than one. The cost-savings plan, dubbed the Effectiveness and Efficiency Initiative, begun in 2004, has saved $94-million so

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