TO: All Employees
FR: Laura Lupei, Senior Director for University Budget and Planning
The 2021-2022 Campus Budget has been finalized and posted to the OpenBook portal, which can be accessed through the Budget Office website: https://budget.sonoma.edu/
The past two years have presented many budget challenges for the University. Primarily due to a continuing decline in enrollment, the 2021-2022 Campus Budget reflects a $11.2 million base deficit. In addition, there are several anticipated one-time costs that increase this year’s budgeted deficit to $12.4M.
There is a plan to resolve the deficit for the 2021-2022 year utilizing Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding (HEERF), campus reserves, division year end balances, and anticipated one-time savings in the current year. All strategies used to solve the deficit in 2021-2022 are one-time solutions. It is crucial to understand that the budget deficit is a base deficit. Although the one-time solutions will resolve the deficit this year, the University will continue to carry the base deficit each year until base solutions are identified.
The President’s Cabinet and the President’s Budget Advisory Committee (PBAC) are working diligently to resolve this deficit. We encourage the campus community to engage with their PBAC representatives as well as attend the Fall Budget and Planning Forum in October to hear in more detail about the budget deficit, the one-time solutions, and the work being done to address the base deficit.
Please reach out to budget@sonoma.edu with any questions.