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“Different universities have found ways to cut down on their operational costs by farming stuff out,” he said. “Maintenance is huge. Universities typically have health centers, a place where students can go, do they want their own employees to do that or do they just want to just contract that out?”

Crawford said the administrative staff began discussing reallocating resources over the next five years last year. In December he said the board of trustees agreed to accelerate plan “to increase our investment in student scholarships and new academic programming.”

“With the higher education landscape shifting so rapidly, we must act decisively to continue our commitment to providing an exceptional and innovative learning environment,” Crawford wrote. “These reallocations will provide Miami the opportunity to strategically advance into the future.”

Wagner said a tuition hike wasn’t considered because “the university’s priorities for students include keeping Miami as affordable as possible.”

She said Miami is very “tuition-dependent” because only 9 to 10 percent of the operating budget comes from the state. She said the university provided $6.1 million in aid to needs-based Ohio students this year and that will continue.

Enrollment at the Oxford campus last fall was 17,327 undergraduates and 2,607 graduate students. Regional campuses in Hamilton, Middletown, and West Chester enroll 4,664 combined.