OU Announces Budget Cuts, Salary Reductions

To battle Coronavirus shutdown, school will cut budget by $13.7, Including 10 percent of salaries over $1 million
OU Announces Budget Cuts, Salary Reductions
OU Announces Budget Cuts, Salary Reductions /

The belt-tightening has begun in Norman.

The University of Oklahoma on Wednesday announced budget cuts of $13.7 million, including a 10 percent salary reduction for employees earning $1 million or more.

Total operating expenses for fiscal year 2019 were nearly $158 million, with about $163 million in total operating revenue, according to The Oklahoman.

According to data compiled by USA Today for fiscal year 2017-18, OU most recently had $175.3 million in athletic department revenue and $152.7 million in total expenses.

Today’s cost-cutting measures are part of ongoing measures taken to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic.

Among OU employees making more than $1 million annually, according to Oklahoma Watch: head football coach Lincoln Riley ($5.3 million), men’s basketball head coach Lon Kruger ($3.2 million), athletic director Joe Castiglione ($1.6 million), football defensive coordinator Alex Grinch ($1.4 million), women’s basketball head coach Sherri Coale ($1.3 million) and softball head coach Patty Gasso ($1.2 million).

All have base salaries paid by the university that are well below $1 million; the rest of their compensation is from private funds raised from outside university coffers.

According to an OU press release Wednesday night, part of the new budget includes COVID-19 expenses, testing protocols and additional safety measures.

The press release states the OU athletic department will hold intact and safeguard all financial aid and services provided to student-athletes, including accommodations for extended eligibility.

Castiglione said these reductions represent the department’s first steps in responding to the impact of COVID-19 and said there could be more measures taken later.

“All of us understand that a number of circumstances will unfold in the weeks ahead,” he said. “Our staff continues to monitor our expense and income projections closely and we'll take other actions, as necessary.”

Castiglione said OU was still able to balance the budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

“It’s a testament to our staff and our practices that we were able to balance our budget for fiscal year 2020,” Castiglione said. “We have always benefited from excellent teamwork in our department, but our staff has come together as never before. I am very proud of our people.”

Castiglione said he’s still optimistic about the upcoming school year.

“Our goal is to have all activities operate as safely and efficiently as possible,” he said. “That said, we are planning on a number of contingencies and protocols that will leave us prepared for any number of scenarios.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.