Members of the Finance and Facilities Committee of the Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon started a day of board activities with important decisions related to the budget for the coming year and a new home for the Oregon Bach Festival.
Trustees forwarded a motion for the full board’s consideration at its June 4 meeting to adopt temporary operating and capital budgets equal to the fiscal year 2015 levels. Jamie Moffitt, vice president for finance and administration and CFO, presented information about the budget factors that remain unknown at this point in time.
State appropriations and legislatively authorized capital projects, as well as health insurance rates for state employees and collective bargaining agreements, will all have significant impact on the university’s budget, she said. If the board approves the temporary budgets, Moffitt will return to the board in the fall with a final FY16 budget recommendation.
The committee also approved acceptance of a lead gift of more than $6 million from longtime supporters Phyllis and Andrew Berwick that will kick start construction of a new home for the Oregon Bach Festival adjacent to the School of Music and Dance.
The board has authority for capital projects of more than $5 million and will vote on the project at tomorrow’s full board meeting.
The addition to the School of Music and Dance is in early design stages and if approved would become the new public face of the Oregon Bach Festival organization, with office and meeting space and rehearsal areas for musicians. The gift also includes funds for acoustic improvements to Beall Concert Hall.
The project is anticipated as a total cost of $8.725 million and is anticipated to open before the 2017 festival. When not in use by the festival, the School of Music and Dance will be able to utilize the new, expanded space.
The committee also received updates on treasury operations and campus planning and deferred maintenance efforts. In addition, it continued conversations about UO Care, the business model shift that would establish a new health insurance model for students if adopted.
Robin Holmes, vice president for student life, and Mike Eyster, executive director for the University Health Center, shared additional information about the financial aspects of the proposed insurance program, which would be self-funded with a reserve, and discussed a phased approach to rolling out the program.
“We appreciate the board’s continued, thorough review of UO Care and appreciate the opportunity to provide additional information as a follow-up to the committee meeting in May,” Holmes said. “We all agree that it is a big decision that needs careful consideration and a thorough review before we roll it out to our students and families.”
—By Julie Brown, Public Affairs Communications