FARGO (AP) - A group working to help Mayville State University solve its financial problems is recommending the school hire a finance officer and use computer software to better track its spending.

The group of higher education administrators says the college can eliminate its deficit in four years without extra taxpayer money.

"With the steps that are being proposed, they'll be on solid ground," said Dave Clark, executive vice president for Bismarck State College and chairman of the group making recommendations for the school. "I feel very confident that it's achievable."

Mayville State officials say much of the school's $900,000 deficit is caused by an enrollment drop and higher fuel costs.

The suggestions from the group of administrators include spending $66,000 a year to hire a finance officer to handle day-to-day accounting and to train staff to use PeopleSoft software to accurately track budgets.

Some of the group's recommendations already are in place, including cutting four employees, eliminating the men's and women's soccer program and reducing travel.

Nine staff jobs and two faculty vacancies will remain unfilled at the college, which has about 625 full-time students and nearly 300 part-time students.

Next year, the university will save $579,801 in salaries and benefits, the report said.

By 2008, the university should eliminate the vice president for enrollment management position, the group said. The job has not met expectations, it said.

Instead of a senior-level position, other support staff could be added to work on recruiting, Clark said.

The group also said Mayville State should get consideration for Legislative funding to offset high fuel costs, but a taxpayer bailout is not a critical need.

Because the campus relies on fuel oil as its only heat source, higher costs affected it more severely than the other 10 schools in the state system, Clark said.

Gary Hagen, Mayville's interim president, said it would be nice to get help for fuel costs, but if the university doesn't, it can adjust.

"We're always going to have something like that, whether the heat goes up or a roof leaks or a steam line breaks," Hagen said. "We have to be prepared to handle those type of things."