UA Departments Spend Down Reserve Accounts

University of Arkansas department chairpeople were busy in late June trying to spend down their reserve accounts before the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

Apparently, the state Legislature has been eyeballing the accounts wondering why the money was just sitting there. The funds were often used to supply new faculty members with equipment they needed to do their jobs. Matching grants were sometimes necessary to scrounge up more money for expensive scientific equipment.

Now, supply closets at the UA are bulging with maintenance supplies that were purchased just to get rid of the reserve accounts.

Legislators can feel good about funding the UA now that it looks a little more needy, but we can’t help wondering what new researchers will do if they need expensive equipment to do their jobs.