With a mandate coming down from the Board of Governors, and financial situations looking bleak, University President Bruce Speck used Thursday mornings meeting of the Administrative Council to prepare faculty and staff.

“The difference is now I’m asking for your participation,” Speck said, comparing what he called the previous “autocratic” administration to the current.

Campus leaders have been asked to begin considering how to operate their programs should they take a budget cut, potentially as high as 25 percent.

“I appreciate the openness and the chance to be part of the process,” said Eillen Godsey, director of the Learning Center.