MUSC braces for funding cuts

The Medical University of South Carolina, like all public higher education institutions in the state, is bracing for funding cuts in the upcoming budget year, President Ray Greenberg said this week.

The cuts could mean the loss of some jobs, he said, and that every effort will be made to preserve jobs to the extent possible.

The planning for state budget cuts primarily concerns the education and research parts of the university, he said. Medical University Hospital has made efforts to reduce expenses, but no reductions in force have been discussed, Greenberg said.

Greenberg emphasized that the hospital and the academic programs are closely aligned, but their funding streams, management and budgeting structures and employee populations are separate and distinct.

Greenberg did not estimate the scale of the cuts to be explored, but said he expects to find out within the next four months. The new budget year begins in July.