Objective
To identify $850,000 in Student Life budget reductions as a result of elimination of all state-aided funding through the UNL budget reduction plan.
Budget Reduction Approach
Guiding Principles
Five guiding principles, rooted in our mission, were established to help us navigate the process.
- Minimize negative impact to student satisfaction and retention.
- Reduce or remove programs/services that contribute less to student success.
- Reduce or remove programs/services that primarily benefit people outside of Student Life (faculty, Lincoln community, etc.).
- Minimize impact on filled positions.
- Prioritize revenue generation that offsets reductions.
Prioritization Exercise
Each unit in Student Life engaged in a prioritization exercise. Unit directors were responsible for completing the exercise. Unit directors were encouraged to include their team(s) in the work to ensure input could be given from all levels within the organization. The prioritization exercise included:
- Identifying all programs and services within the unit
- Rating programs and services on a scale of importance and urgency
- Identifying data to provide insight into programs and services
- Rating programs and services on reach, impact, and effort
- Making recommendations to the Student Life Senior Team (Vice Chancellor and direct reports) on possible cuts, reconfigurations, or realignments
Timeline
The budget reduction process spanned six months, July – December of 2025. Unit directors completed the prioritization exercise in July and into August. The Senior Team held weekly budget discussions from August through November to review the prioritization exercise recommendations, generate additional ideas for reductions and revenue generation, and identify the financial impact of all options. In December and January, the Senior Team carefully reviewed all options, discussed the impact of each option, and made final decisions based on the established guiding principles.
Student Life Budget Overview
To help frame the objective at hand, it helps to start with the big picture. Using round numbers and broad expense types, here is a snapshot of Student Life’s expenses and revenue before budget reductions.
Expenses
| Expense Type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salaries and Benefits (wages, health insurance, etc.) | $55,490,730 |
| Fixed Costs (utilities, debt payments and coverage, etc.) | $32,281,240 |
| Other Operating (technology, maintenance, programming, office supplies, travel, etc.) | $43,687,380 |
| TOTAL | $131,459,350 |
Revenue
| Revenue Type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Self-generated (Housing rates, meal plans, space rental, assessments, etc.) | $99,110,950 |
| University Program and Facilities Fees – Funds A & B (ASUN, SLICE, Campus Rec, Unions, University Health Center, etc.) | $25,388,550 |
| University Program and Facilities Fees – Specified for facility debt payments (East Union, JGMC, Campus Rec) | $4,245,630 |
| Grants (TRIO, alcohol and other drug education, etc.) | $1,864,220 |
| State-aided Funding (Services for Students with Disabilities, Student Conduct & Community Standards, TRIO, Office of the Vice Chancellor, Nebraska Unions) | $850,000 |
| TOTAL | $131,459,350 |
State-aided Funding Reductions
The table below shows the final budget reductions. Each reduction includes an amount, brief description, and the FTE impact (if applicable).
| Area(s) | Amount | Description | FTE Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARE, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Student Culture & Community, and SLICE | $296,214 | Reductions in operating costs, programming expenditures, adjustments to staffing levels, moving expenses to private funding | ~3.00 |
| Voluntary FTE Reduction Program | $38,706 | Voluntary FTE reductions from six positions | 0.685 |
| Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Life | $254,947 | Strategic restructure of roles with Nebraska Unions, reduction in consulting fees and software agreement, moving ASUN scholarships to private funding | 2.00 |
| Student Life IT | $102,453 | Reduce redundant position with NU ITS | 1.00 |
| TRIO | $71,994 | Staffing, operational, and programmatic shifts, reallocation, and reductions | n/a |
| Sponsorship Revenue | $50,000 | Sponsorship agreements with private businesses, largely in auxiliary units | n/a |
| Auxiliary Assessment | $35,686 | Adjust assessment to auxiliary units (Campus Recreation, Health Center, Housing & Dining, Nebraska Unions) through increased revenue or reductions in operating costs and adjustments to staffing levels | n/a |
| SUBTOTAL | $850,000 | ~6.685 |