Budget cuts, curricular review, academic reductions — campus was abuzz with words like these during the 2009-10 school year. And since March, the vocabulary cast a shadow over university departments and programs, eventually closing eight areas of study.
Now in the wake of the storm, U. Nevada-Reno is counting what it lost, what it learned and what challenges are waiting just around the bend.
On March 1, a special session of the Nevada Legislature reduced the university budget by $11 million. Like the previous reduction of $33 million made in July 2009, $3.5 million of the March cuts were made in administrative faculty, student services, operating funds and maintenance. The remaining $7.5 million came out of education.
The departments of economic resources and animal biotechnology were officially closed June 3 when the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents approved suggestions made during the curricular review. Speech communication, German studies, Italian studies, interior design, supply chain management, as well as the Center for Nutrition and Metabolism, were also closed.
UNR Provost Marc Johnson said the curricular review, a process established by the Board of Regents to reduce expenditure on academic programs, was a success.
“While this was an emotional time for the campus, I believe the process worked well to identify programs for closure based on academic criteria and meet the budget reduction challenge,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the effect of the cuts, although devastating to a number of important departments and programs, is often taken out of context.
“Program closures affected less than 300 students of our 17,000 and risks the loss of less than $1 million of our research and service grants of our $106 million awarded last year,” Johnson said. “The positive news is that most of our students will return to find the same academic opportunity they found when they chose the University of Nevada, Reno to pursue their education.”
But faculty from cut programs say the reductions have left holes in the framework of a comprehensive education. Valerie Weinstein, an associate professor in the German studies program, said the loss of German and Italian will be felt in other disciplines.
“The study of German and Italian languages, literatures, and cultures is closely linked to a number of other disciplines in the College of Liberal Arts such as Philosophy, Art, Music, History and English,” Weinstein said. “UNR has lost a small but high quality program, a number of whose recent graduates have won Fulbright scholarships to study in Germany and gone on to top graduate programs.”
Johnson said the university is doing its best to help students graduate from the program they originally majored in, regardless of the cuts.
“College and departmental advisors are working with students in affected programs to devise ways to get each student graduated in the degree they were in during spring, 2010,” he said.
While juniors and seniors majoring in German studies will be able to complete their degree, Weinstein said many will be forced to look at other programs or universities.
“Advanced majors and minors will be able to finish their degree, but those just starting or even considering a future major in German are having to look for other subjects that might interest them,” she said. “Or they will have to transfer to another university.”
Weinstein said the cut will hit students in the pocketbook, as well as alter their academic and professional future.
“For all of our students, the cutting of the German degree program means a change in their future dreams and plans,” Weinstein said. “For some, it amounts to a financial loss as well, having invested time and money in credit hours towards a degree that they won’t be able to finish.”
While cuts to programs have left some faculty and students sour, administrators are facing a new set of challenges for the 2010-11 school year. The fall will see the highest freshman enrollment ever. However, state funding is at an all-time low.
“This is the classic case of doing more, much more, with less,” said Bruce Shively, the university’s associate vice president for planning, budget, and analysis.
“Our budget has been reduced by 20 percent since fiscal 2009 and we have 350 fewer positions funded from the state budget than we had two years ago,” Shively said. “At the same time, we are anticipating the largest freshman class in the history of the university and an overall increase in enrollment of approximately 5 percent.”
Johnson said larger the opening of the Davidson Science and Mathematics Center and the Wells Fargo Auditorium will allow for an increase in class sizes. He said larger lecture classes will be complemented by more group discussion sections.
Future cuts still remain a possibility. Johnson said the state’s two-year, $6.8 billion budget is short $3 billion. He said academic cuts during the fall semester are possible, but unlikely.
“If there is another round of budget cuts, it likely will be known after the next Legislative session ends in May 2011,” Johnson said. “If there is another significant budget reduction additional program closures may be possible. However, we do not have any plans at this time to close more programs.”