Manhattan University holds the last senate meeting of the semester.
MANHATTAN.EDU/ COURTESY
Brooke Della Rocco, Senior Writer
Manhattan University’s (MU) Senate held its final senate meeting of the semester, with the annual appearance of President Frederick Bonato, Ph.D., and Chief Financial Officer James Perrino.
The Senate opened with Perrino giving a brief financial review of the University’s current status. Perrino explained that the financial statements provided are audited annually by KPMG, with MU receiving an unqualified opinion. The university is considered a “going concern” in terms of finances, meaning that it will be operational for at least one year.
As for expenses, MU’s total revenue for the last fiscal year was $145 million, with significant contributions from student services and the endowment fund.
“I think the main thing that we get out of [this is], essentially at the end of the year, we had an increase in cash of $2.2 million, and then we utilize our cash primarily for operating activities,” Perrino said.
Perrino then presented the tentative budget for the fiscal year of 2026, with total revenue projected at $122 million and expenses projected at $136 million. With the expenses mainly made up of salaries, the university will remain in a cash deficit of $12.4 million, which is a consequence of the low enrollment numbers.
“Essentially, we’ll have cash at the end of the year, but not as much as we had the last year,” Perrino said. “A lot of the cause of this, obviously, is a result of some of the enrollment activity. We didn’t hit the numbers as high as we would’ve liked last year and that runs through the end of the year.”
President Bonato began his address by outlining priorities for this upcoming year, while also addressing financial sustainability. His strategic plan involves the university’s Lasallian Mission, student experience, physical and technological infrastructure and reputation as well as innovation of the university’s academic core.
Bonato also spoke about the enrollment trends over the past eight years, and the necessity to reverse the ongoing decline.
“So as of today, we have 334 deposits for next fall,” Bonato said. “A year ago, we had 231, so that’s a big increase…Nothing’s done until fall, when new students actually show up and are sitting in the seats.”
As a result of MU being tuition driven, with limited endowment funds, healthy enrollment is critical for financial sustainability.
“Not only do we have to recruit students, we have to manage our expenses very carefully,” Bonato said. “You always go for the expenses that don’t inflict damage to your mission and your student experience. Those are things you try to keep intact, but you do try to manage and trim, and sometimes it’s painful.”
The projected amount of incoming students is anywhere from 450-700, with Bonato hoping for 1000. While the undergraduate enrollment is already projected higher than former years, graduate student enrollment is significantly lower this year.
Some faculty members spoke up during the senate meeting as well, expressing their concerns about job security and the impact of an email disseminated to faculty, asking for volunteers for an early retirement package.
One faculty member expressed concern regarding the email and the effect it has had on morale.
“I’m speaking as a faculty member and on behalf of some of my colleagues,” she said. “We’ve been living in fear since pre-COVID about job security, and when we receive an email that feels somewhat out of the blue, saying that you’re pleased to announce this early retirement package, to be honest, it kind of sets a little hysteria off.”
Bonato went on to reassure faculty that it was not the school’s intention to encourage doubts about job security.
Senator Bridget Chalk spoke about the Educational Affairs Committee and the current updates being made. For example, the new core curriculum will include revisions to English 110, Religious Studies 110, and a new interdisciplinary seminar with components of the “first-year-experience.” Chalk also highlighted the approval of a joint services transcript for veteran students, as well as the policy on credit limits to prevent overloading.
Junior class Vice President Ashley Zegler attended the meeting as well to express concerns about the changes to the 2027 spring semester academic calendar, particularly the impact on Senior Week.
“I, along with my peers, share in the sentiment that while both options for condensed senior week are unfavorable, the three-day option is preferred by the junior class over the one-day option,” Zegler said. “The class of 2027 is deeply immersed in every aspect of student life within the Jasper community, whether athletics, academics, service, or clubs, striving to uphold the rich tradition and mission of the Lasallian spirit. Senior week should be viewed not only as a period to celebrate and enjoy the company of friends under the stress of the semester, but also as an act of gratitude from the university.”
A senate member expressed how the decision-making process about the 2027 academic calendar involved trade-offs, and how senior week will technically be 4 days in this model, including the commencement ceremony.
“There always has to be trade-offs in a calendar year,” Chalk said. “That is going to be the finalized schedule, so please don’t think that [senior week] was ever really going to be one day. We saw that, and we immediately said, ‘that’s not going to work’, and moved around the schedule to at least make it four days.”
As the senate concluded its final meeting of the semester, Mehnaz Afridi, Ph.D., expressed the need to energize the senate, as well as foster a collaborative environment for addressing campus concerns with students and improving communication across all channels.