University of the Virgin Islands alumni gave to the school at a rate of 12 percent last year, surpassing the national average of less than 8 percent for U.S. higher education institutions, university President David Hall said Monday.
Hall hailed the giving spirit of former students.
“This achievement underscores the profound impact of our alumni’s generosity and we are committed to building on this momentum and strengthening alumni engagement,” he told the Senate’s Committee on Budget, Finance, and Appropriations.
The institution may need much more.
Gov. Albert Bryan’s proposed budget for UVI in fiscal year 2025 calls for a $2 million reduction that would translate into hiring freezes and all-around budget reductions, school officials said Monday.
Hall, at the helm of UVI for 15 years, said Wednesday was his last day as president. He recalled many times when the university rose to meet requests from the Legislature, as well as times the Legislature helped fund the university beyond governors’ budget requests. He asked the Senate to fund planned pay increases and continue the level of instruction that had poured much-needed nurses and other skilled workers into the territory’s shallow labor pool.
The university itself had 59 vacant positions, said Nereida Washington, the university’s vice president for administration and finance.
Reducing the budget now would unfairly burden incoming President Safiya George, Hall said.
“Without your support, she will be saddled with commencing her presidency during a major budget reduction that units will have to absorb and not being able to fulfill a salary increase expectation that our faculty and others expect,” Hall said. “She doesn’t need a $2 million reduction in our operating budget tying her hands as she begins her illustrious career.”
Hall said many senior employees feel their areas of the university were understaffed. Faculty deserve promised pay increases, as do staff. Underpaying employees would lead to more vacancies.
“We have gone through this many many times and it always hurts in terms of our ability to deliver,” Hall said.
The university planned a much-needed seven percent increase in tuition, Hall said. But that new revenue would be offset by likely reductions from the university’s foundation and increases in costs from property insurance and GERS contributions.
“If you have a half million or $400,000 increase but a $2.2 million budget decrease, that doesn’t work,” Hall said. In fiscal year 2024 — which is Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024 — the university estimated $11,965,699 of its $51,166,352 budget would come from tuition and associated fees.
The university planned to unveil its new Medical School Classroom Building and Biomedical Research Laboratory Tuesday, Hall said, calling it an “ambitious and transformative project.”
With the physical structure in place, Hall said the next step was finding long-term funding in order to gain accreditation for the medical school.
Hall said he planned to take some time off and then come back to teach a Ph.D. program in leadership.
