Dear Beckman community,
We recently sent an email sharing the provost’s guidance on possible cuts to research funding and asking you to cut back on non-critical work and expenses. We're ready to share our own plans for focusing on Beckman’s mission critical work while spending less. Beckman’s goal is to maintain normal operations for as long as possible.
If you’d like to discuss this or anything else related to the current events that affect our research, please join us from 9-10 a.m. Friday, March 7, in the fourth floor tower room (4269 Beckman).
We don’t want to create panic. We also don’t want to make promises we can’t keep. There’s a lot we don’t know, and we can’t predict the future. However, we want to be transparent about our thought processes and make sure communication is flowing.
Beckman’s strategy for financial viability
When considering our strategy, we began with activities that are important for the organization's ability to achieve its goals, but are associated with an investment that we believe we can reduce or eliminate without harming the organization. We propose some short-term cost cutting measures below:
Potential savings with changes (savings of $9,315):
- Continue to provide opportunities for Beckman Institute members to interact and talk about research. Events that will continue:
- Annual Research Themes, Explained events
- Working group meetings, seminars, and scientific discussions. Bring your own lunch, snacks and drinks. ($3,366 saved)
- Beckman-Brown Lecture
- SmithGroup Lecture
- Focus on the future of the Beckman Institute. Events that will continue:
- Strategic planning
- External Advisory Committee visit in October
- Beckman Institute Open House
- Build community and recognize each other Events that will continue:
- Weekly Gather in the Garden: Bring your own drink. ($1,920 saved)
- Monthly Community Collabs: Bring your own snack to share. ($2,029 saved)
- Holiday Cookie Collab and town hall in the fall
- Arnold Beckman birthday and Vision and Spirit/Staff Spirit and Dedication award celebration in the spring.
- Workshops using Illinois resources, asking participants bring their own lunch or snack. ($2,000 saved)
In addition to these measures, we are planning for scenarios that may require more substantial reductions in funding. The below items represent areas where Beckman could save money.
These identified areas are a menu that, after discussion and evaluation, may be incrementally reduced to improve Beckman’s future financial viability. We hope these changes will not be needed, but if they are, the goal is to maintain normal operations for as long as possible. Collectively, Beckman invests roughly $3.6M in these activities each year.
- Reduction/pause of future faculty recruitment and retention budget. (up to $685,000 saved)
- Reduction/pause of future Beckman Postdoctoral and Graduate Fellow programs. (up to $373,573 saved, will not affect current fellows)
- Reduction/pause of Beckman Funding Program budgets. (up to $375,000 saved)
- Pause future non-mission critical building renovations. (up to $476,181 saved)
- Reduction of Beckman functional area budgets. (up to $916,325 saved)
- Reduction of subsidies provided by Beckman. (up to $800,000 saved)
- Slow/pause hiring. (unknown money saved)
Bring your questions Friday, or please feel free to email. We know this is an incredibly stressful time to work in research. We hope that by continuing to bring the Beckman community together, we can support each other through the uncertainties.
Sincerely,
Steve Maren, Director