Cameron University’s new budget cuts spending, but includes tuition and housing increases

Cameron University put its 2023-2024 budget into place Saturday, after winning approval earlier in the week from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

The $42.326 million budget reflects $1.45 million more in state-appropriated funding, but the end of CARES Act-related funding. It also includes more revenue because of increases in tuition, housing and meal plans, but $3.337 million less in expenditures. Cameron President John McArthur said the resulting budget still allows Cameron to focus on providing high-quality education to its students and compensating its faculty and staff.

McArthur, speaking last week on what he called the eve of the New Year, said he was pleased with the balanced budget that Cameron crafted and regents approved.

Expenditures are $3,336,327 less than what they were for the academic year that ended Friday, reflecting changes made by administrators. That was necessary for several reasons, including fewer federal dollars. While the State of Oklahoma increased state-appropriated funding by $1.454 million, the federal government’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund has ended and dollars already allocated to Cameron are spent. While tuition costs are increasing because of a rate increase announced earlier in the year, distance learning service fees are falling.

There also are fewer employees on campus, McArthur said. While there are less faculty positions than there were last year, that’s not because anyone was terminated.

“Resignations and retirements,” he said, explaining that as some faculty members left, their positions were not refilled, while others were transferred into new positions.

The net effect may mean fewer classes in some areas, but continued support for the courses that students want. McArthur said the average class size at Cameron still is less than 20 students, while the university maintains a ratio of one faculty member for every 17 students.

Number of staff adjusted

The number of university staff also has been adjusted as part of an ongoing effort to make operations leaner without affecting the quality of education and services. That effort has included things such as combining departments and services, grouping like activities so a single administrator could replace multiple ones.

Campus officials said administrative expenses are 11.1 percent of all expenses this year, an increase from the previous year but still less than the 13 percent regional average set by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Cameron administrators will continue to evaluate positions as openings occur.

“We don’t hire out of habit,” McArthur said, explaining analysis ensures the position being vacated needs to be refilled or can’t be combined elsewhere.

Student enrollment also is continuing to recover after years of decline worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. McArthur said this year’s enrollment is 4 percent more than the 2022-2023 academic year.

“It’s good to see,” he said.

And, he’s delighted that concurrent enrollment — high school students enrolled in college courses — continues to grow. Cameron has 68 percent growth in that area, or an enrollment of more than 500 students expected this year, versus 300 last year.

“We’re the largest high school for seniors in the nine counties of Southwest Oklahoma,” McArthur said, citing the fact that Cameron has the region’s largest high school senior class for the second year in a row.

International students still are part of the equation, McArthur said, adding while Cameron’s international enrollment is smaller than it was 20 years ago, students from outside the U.S. account for 3-5 percent of students. But the nationalities have changed.

Today’s international student is most likely to be here because of athletics, and that means Cameron is drawing students from a wider range of countries.

“It changes the mix,” McArthur said, adding while students 10 years ago frequently were from Nigeria and Nepal, the mix today is more diverse. “They’re from all over.”