The Slippery Rock University Council of Trustees approved a 2021-22 budget Friday, with total expenditures of $144 million and a projected surplus of $776,348.

The previous year's approved budget projected a deficit and the anticipated surplus could be used for unplanned COVID-19-related expenses, according to a news release from the university.

William Behre, university president, said the federal funding the university received for revenue lost because of COVID-19 helped to balance the university's spending. That money and how it was spent, however, has to be accounted for.

“From a Slippery Rock standpoint, the federal money, while difficult to manage, was the lifeline that got us through,” Behre said. “The COVID money was able to be applied to lost revenue in a way we never expected beforehand.”

During the trustees' quarterly meetings last week, the group officially named the newly renovated performing facilities, which were previously known as the Miller Auditorium. The new name is the Performing Arts Complex, which houses the Stoner East, Stoner West and Performing Arts Center facilities.“We understand that this space is more dynamic than what an auditorium would suggest,” Dan Bauer, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said in the news release. “It's important to use these (modern) names, especially for recruiting students to our programs.”Behre also talked to the trustees about the status of the campus community, considering the changing COVID-19 situation.“We are trying to rebuild a campus climate and culture,” Behre said. “Part of our challenge this year is there is so much uncertainty about how much students can we have in residence halls, how many are going to show up.”