Wednesday, November 10, 1982
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 82, No. 59
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Projected shortfall $55miltio,
By Pat Higgins
Nebraska faces a revenue shortfall of between $50
million and $55 million this fiscal year. Don Leuenberger,
state tax commissioner, said Tuesday. He was reporting
to a joint meeting of the Revenue and Appropriations
committees of the Legislature.
Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly, chairman of. the
Appropriations Committee, requested last week that
Leuenberger give a report on the revenue shortfall.
"My own personal feeling,' as Sen. Warner well knows,
is that we're facing between $50 millionUnd $55 million
shortfall," Leuenberger said.
Gov. Charles Thone long has maintained that the
revenue shortfall would be $30 million.
Leuenberger had a report on projected revenues that
included an optimistic view that anticipates a 3 percent
growtfi in the economy. This was derived from reports
from Data Resources Inc. A report anticipating a no
growth economy was developed from Chase
Econometrics.
Leuenberger said that it would be prudent to expect
little growth in the state's economy during the rest of
the fiscal year. Agriculture prices will take longer to
recover than the rest of the economy, he said.
Hie effect on Nebraska of the federal budget's deficit
of between $150 billion and $200 billion is not yet
known, he said. The national economy is supposed to
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pull out of the recession gradually, at a rate of no more
than 4 percent.
However, the Bureau of Business Research at UNL
projects a growth-rate in Nebraska of only half the
national rate. This is because of depressed commodities
market, particularly for grain.
"We have to use a realistic set of projections for the
course of the fiscal year," Leuenberger said.
The figures that Leuenberger used in his projections
assume that the state income tax rate will be raised from
the current 17 percent up to 19 percent on Jan. 1 to make
up for the federal income tax cut. If the income tax rate
is not raised to 19 percent, the state will be short another
$12 million, he projected.
The state has collected approximately $28 million
less in the first four months of the 1982:83 fiscal year,
10 percent below projections.
In October alone, the state collected $13.9 less in
taxes than projected, Leuenberger said. About $5 million
in taxes that were due the last day of October will be
counted as November receipts, he said.
The state senators will analyze Leuenberger's pro
jections and question him in detail today. Sen. Don
Dworak of Columbus said the problem appears to be more
severe than a cash flow problem.
"This is a real budget problem," Dworak said.
"The State Board of Equalization will meet Monday to
deal with the tax rates.
Photo court y of
Howard Ottoson
owari Ottoson
Ottoson supported
for provost position
NU President Ronald Roskens announced
Friday, that he will recommend that the NU Board .
of Regents approve Howard W. Ottoson a the
university's executive vice president and provost.
Roskens said that Ottoson also will serve as
dean of Graduate Studies.
Ottoson has been filling the role of interim
executive vice president and provost since February.
One of his first duties as provost has been to lead
in developing the new admissions policy.
Ottoson, 62, joined the university faculty in
1950 as an assistant professor in the department
of agricultural economics, which he chaired from
1956 to 1966.
As executive vice president, Ottoson will be
dealing with academic and internal affairs of the
university.
Roskens said the position makes Ottoson second
in command at NU. He also will work closely with
campus chancellors and academic officers on the
three university campuses.
In addition to his service at the university, Otto
son has written articles for several agricultura
journals and is a member of numerous national
academic honorary associations.
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nvironmental health
program m
By Jim Anderson
The College of Arts and Sciences' Curriculum Commit
tee will decide this year the fate of the environmental
health program, a major dropped by the School of Health,
Physical Education and Recreation earlier this semester.
The major, the study of how man's actions affect the
environment, doesn't come under the jurisdiction of any
particular department. It previously was administered by
the Teachers College through the school.
During the past five years, the school has discontinued
five classes necessary for the major. This spring the
Teachers College and the school decided that, because
of the low number of students in the program, it would
be cut from the Teachers College curriculum and the Col
lege of Arts and Sciences would be encouraged to offer
the major.
The Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee has
been studying the major for the past three months in an
attempt to decide whether to take it on.
John Moran, acting associate dean of the College, of
Arts and Sciences, said that though he isn't yet ready to
say the program is doomed, he has questions about it
that need to be answered.
In a letter dated Oct. 20 to the Environmental Health
Area Studies Committee, Moran said questions were
raised at the curriculum committee's September meeting
concerning the program's small number of students,
courses that have been dropped by the school, the insuf
ficient number of faculty specialists and resources and
the overall strength of the program.
The letter suggested the integrated studies program
as an alternative for students who wish to study environ
mental health.
Interest decreasing
The major was established at UNL in 1971, Moran
said, when there was quite a bit of interest in the subject.
He said there isn't as much interest in irnow, as shown by
the fact that there are only about four students currently
enrolled in the program.
But Del Weed, head of UNL's Division of Environ
mental Safety, said there is support for the program.
"A legitimate need for this program has been demon
strated, Weed said. "There is student interest there.
The university just has to show students that there is such
a major and the interest will perpetuate itself."
Weed said people have come to expect a clean, quality
environment today. Environmental programs have started
to catch up with this expectation, he said, so the area
isn't being emphasized as much as it has been in the past.
"StUfF Photo oy Craig Ana'ttun
The end may be near for this resident of Bevan's
Turkey Farm located southeast of Waverly. Just
IS days remain before Thanksgiving, and this
turkey may be gracing someone's dinner table.
ight be droppei
However, the need to maintain such programs still exists,
he said.
"The jobs are still out there," Weed said. He said
private industry, large hospitals and consulting firms are
among the areas graduates find jobs in, though he said
tax-supported jobs In the field have dwindled because of
the economy and the current administration.
Pressures for resourses
Moran said that the fact that there are so few majors
in the program should be weighed against the enormous
pressures from other areas of study for resources, before
a decision is made as to whether the major will continue.
He said he invites input from students and faculty
members who support the program. So far, he said, he
has been concerned at the lack of people willing to come
forward and defend it.
"We have a hard selling job ahead of us with the cur
riculum committee," Weed said. "The bottom line is that
the university is fulfilling a need.
Weed said environmental health is a changing profes
sion. Graduates with at least 30 hours of natural science
credits can find jobs in the field, but Weed said those
with the major would get priority from agencies that
want qualified employees.
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