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ACU Budget

There has been lots of uproar over the new salon that ACU has announced will open across the street from the university in the space previously used by Abilene Educational Supply. I’ve read status update after status update talking about the salon and the budget cuts that were made earlier this year, specifically the decision to close the Department of Agriculture.

Changes have been made since President Schubert came into office. He has a 21st century vision that includes revamping several things on campus and several budget cuts, but something that we need to face is that our country has been badly hit by budget cuts all over. More and more people have searched for ways that will help save a dime.

I have several opinions based off of the budget cuts that I will attempt to lay out clearly in this blog.

First off: The topic of the hour is the new salon. From what I have read, I do not feel that our students are well informed. I commonly see status updates saying that it is a dumb idea (to put it nicely) and that no student can afford to go and get manicures/pedicures or a massage. I understand the concerns of a low/no-income college student as I am one, but the salon is not just for us.

The salon will be the top salon in Abilene. It will follow with ACU’s goal of being “Exceptional, Innovative, and Real.” The salon will create at least 15 jobs for people around Abilene and some will already have clientele that they will bring with them. Salon clients will relax and be pampered while enjoying some time spent on one of the salon’s iPads. 

In an editorial written by Kelly Young, ACU’s Chief Financial Officer, a statement is given about the most common concern of why ACU is spending money while they are making budget cuts.

“Even the most conservative projections show that new revenue from the salon will exceed expenses in the first year,” Young says.

The revenue generated from the salon will go back into ACU’s general budget alongside revenue from the Campus Store and the Bean.

The second major concern is for the Agricultural Department which the university announced would be closing after the graduation of it’s current students due to low interest. While ACU was once a great university to get an Agricultural degree from, there are many other universities in Texas such as A&M, Blinn, and Tarleton that will allow students who wish to pursue this major to have the best education possible and they can choose to carry on a Christ-centered leadership ideals that ACU treasures.

A new department will be added that will help to attract new students to the University, the Department of Engineering, which is a rapidly growing field that many potential students would require rather than just a degree in math or physics.

The last concern that I want to bring up is the pay cuts. We all know a professor or staff member that has been fired. We also have heard that administration has not taken any pay cuts as said in a November Optimist article. While I do not know what type of salary and benefits that President Schubert and other administration receive, I do believe that should it make a difference in the University, they should lead by example. They do however, deserve the payment necessary for the job they perform. While you may not agree with all their decisions, they, alongside the Board of Trustees are doing what they feel is best for the University, students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

 

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