NIU President John Peters and Board of Trustees chair Manuel Sanchez addressed the university’s ongoing response to Illinois Governor George Ryan’s budget cuts at Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting.

The budget will take two hits, Sanchez said. Ryan initially called for a $25 million cut to the state’s higher education money, and more recently, requested state universities to shoulder a $45 million contribution to the state employee health insurance plan.

Peters was reluctant to commit to a firm figure as to what NIU’s contribution to those cuts would be, but he estimated a budget reduction ranging from $3.5 to $6 million. He said NIU has been blessed with excellent budgets during the past several years and is in good financial health.

Because of this, Sanchez said NIU has been able to improve salaries and make other such improvements with the help of the state government. But now the state is forced to admit that the money no longer is available.

He added that state support will be much tighter during the next few terms, and the effects on higher education will be “strongly felt.”

Peters established guidelines that he hopes to stick to following Ryan’s announcements.

Those guidelines include a temporary hiring freeze, delays in equipment purchasing and travel limitations. Peters said NIU will attempt to deal with this situation in a way that will minimize the effect to undergraduate learning.

Also, Peters warned of tuition increases for the next year, but added that would be a decision the board would have to make.

“We may have to do more with less, but that’s what everyone has to do, and NIU will do its part,” Sanchez echoed.