Last week, Governor Phil Bredesen promised no surprises in the budget he proposed last night to the General Assembly, and this was certainly th case for The University of Tennessee. The budget calls on us and other state-aided entities, with a few exceptions like K-12, to share equitably in the state's revenue challenges.

At The University of Tennessee, we have promised to make the cuts required to live within the reduced level of state funding, and we must be prepared to detail those actions during upcoming legislative budget hearings. We will notify those directly impacted by these actions.

Once the state's fiscal situation improves, we will work with the Governor and legislature to outline strategic investments the state can make to advance our goals outlined in the "UT2010 Scorecard" and the respective scorecards for the Chattanooga and Martin campuses.

While these are difficult times for us, I continue to remain encouraged over the long-term. Governor Bredesen has talked repeatedly about the importance of higher education, his regrets at having to recommend these cuts, and his commitment to helping us in future years.

I encourage you to continue to do your very best to provide a high quality education for our students, conduct cutting-edge research and serve our many constituenciesacross the state on a daily basis.

Cordially,

John W. Shumaker, President