Welch Reflects on First Year as Henderson President
Katie Brown
Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: News
Welch wants to keep the tuition low, but there could be an increase next year of about $82.
Welch said that the university is not going to budget for any additional students next year.
"I'd like to get to a point where we budget about 97 percent of the previous year's enrollment to give us a little bit of flexibility," Welch said. However, the budget would be too tight to do that for this next year.
Changes like this would hopefully give the university a more reliable budget, so the university would not have to go through another budget freeze like it experienced this year.
Welch has been spending much time in Little Rock, consulting with legislators this spring semester. He thinks that it was particularly important for Henderson to be represented this session in attempts to gain more funding and to have a voice in bills like the state lottery scholarships that will affect Arkansas universities.
From the months of January through April, Welch said that he spent over 50 percent of his workdays representing Henderson at the capitol.
"I think that's an important part of my job," Welch said.
Welch does not expect to spend nearly as much time at the capitol until the next session, but he thinks that his presence this semester in Little Rock will have some positive effects.
In regards to the financial health of the university, the new president is hopeful but realistic.
"This is really a marathon, not a sprint, and it may take a couple of years before we get everything where we want it," Welch said. "It may get worse before it gets better."
Welch said that the university is not going to budget for any additional students next year.
"I'd like to get to a point where we budget about 97 percent of the previous year's enrollment to give us a little bit of flexibility," Welch said. However, the budget would be too tight to do that for this next year.
Changes like this would hopefully give the university a more reliable budget, so the university would not have to go through another budget freeze like it experienced this year.
Welch has been spending much time in Little Rock, consulting with legislators this spring semester. He thinks that it was particularly important for Henderson to be represented this session in attempts to gain more funding and to have a voice in bills like the state lottery scholarships that will affect Arkansas universities.
From the months of January through April, Welch said that he spent over 50 percent of his workdays representing Henderson at the capitol.
"I think that's an important part of my job," Welch said.
Welch does not expect to spend nearly as much time at the capitol until the next session, but he thinks that his presence this semester in Little Rock will have some positive effects.
In regards to the financial health of the university, the new president is hopeful but realistic.
"This is really a marathon, not a sprint, and it may take a couple of years before we get everything where we want it," Welch said. "It may get worse before it gets better."
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