Two Valdosta State Univesity students study in Odum Library Tuesday afternoon.

VALDOSTA — A potential $300 million reduction in the University System of Georgia’s budget could lead to jobs lost and programs cut at Valdosta State University.

The Fiscal Year 2011 proposed reductions would remove $8,898,836 from VSU’s budget leading to the loss of 11 existing and developing academic programs, 22 jobs, and other program reductions and losses.



THE CHANCELLOR’S CHOICES

Last week, USG Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr. was asked, during a joint hearing of the state Senate’s and the House’s appropriations subcommittees on higher education, to provide a list of up to $300 million in additional budget reductions for Fiscal Year 2011.

These are only proposed budget reductions and cannot be required by the Georgia General Assembly but, if approved by the USG Board of Regents, would be added to the $256 million in reductions already reflected in Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Fiscal Year 2011 recommended budget.

In a March 1 letter to the chairmen of both the state Senate and House of representative appropriations subcommittees on higher education, Davis noted that the 100-plus-page document, detailing proposed reductions to all of the USG’s 35 institutions, was informational and not recommendations.

“First, we continue to hope that it will not be necessary to reduce the budget of the University System by an additional $300 million. Second, we strongly believe that cuts of this nature, if implemented, would severely compromise our ability to provide the educated populace necessary for the continued success of this state,” Davis wrote. “Third, the University System, of course, does not make budget recommendations directly to the legislature. And fourth, the Board of Regents will make the final decisions about budget actions by the 35 college and universities, once it receives FY 2011 appropriation from the General Assembly.”

He noted that the Board of Regents has neither reviewed nor approved these budget scenarios.



PROPOSED CUTS FOR VSU

VSU has seen a 26 percent loss of its state-appropriated funds in the last two years, said Dr. Patrick Schloss, VSU’s president.

If the $300 million reduction came to pass, the additional cuts would bring the total reduction to 46 percent, he said.

Conversely, the university is seeing a steady increase in student enrollment, Schloss said.

“We love every one of them, and we need the resources from the state to meet that challenge and to provide the highest quality of education that we can provide,” Schloss said. “Overall, I believe that the state must view the value of higher education as a farmer might view seed corn. It is costly to plant the crop, but the crop is profitable and becomes the primary asset out of the field.”

To meet the reduction, VSU would be forced to eliminate 11 academic programs (several of which were proposed for the upcoming budgetary year), 22 positions, programs at Kings Bay Naval Station and Moody Air Force Base, the women’s golf team budgeted for FY 2011, the university honors college budgeted for FY 2011, among other cuts. VSU would also be forced to reduce library hours.

Eliminating the 11 academic programs would cut $2 million, while closing Kings Bay and Moody AFB programs would save $1 million.

The plan, Schloss said, is imperfect because of the limited time.

“It didn’t really give us a chance to fully explore each of the options,” Schloss said. “The impact at Valdosta is severe but tempered by very thoughtful planning that has occurred in the last year and a half.”

Through the proposed reductions, the University of Georgia, for example, could have to cut more than 1,400 positions.

VSU has only listed 22 positions as losses due to the proposed cuts, Schloss said.

“Personnel reductions at Valdosta are very modest by any standard,” he added.

That said, all 22 positions that would be cut are currently staffed.



LOOKING ELSEWHERE

Cutting programs and services to the state’s young people could drive them outside of the state to seek a higher education, he said, which would have negative economic impact on the state in the decade to come.

An educated workforce within the state is a direct result of the institutions within the state, Schloss said.

Valdosta State and the other colleges and universities have been working on the proposed reductions since last Thursday.

The proposed cuts at VSU would also eliminate the vice president for student affairs and director of finance and budget positions, in addition to reducing leadership and coordination of student-life activities at a cost of $310,900.

Schloss hopes that the legislature considers other options in its effort to balance the budget.

“Our hope is they will see the wisdom in looking to other options that simply don’t handicap the futures of our most precious asset,” Schloss said.

He encourages friends of the university, alumni, students, faculty, staff and others to contact those that make the decisions concerning this issue and express the need for higher education.

That said, Schloss said he knows that the local legislative representatives are fully supportive of the university’s mission.

Schloss believes the General Assembly may consider changes to tuition in regards to balancing the budget in the coming months.



FOR BOX

To read Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr.’s letter in full or more about the $300 million in additional cuts draft document, visit www.usg.edu.



FOR SIDEBAR

If additional reductions are called for, VSU has proposed taking the following actions:

• Eliminate 11 academic programs

• Eliminate Kings Bay Naval Station and Moody Air Force Base programs

• Eliminate Living and Learning Community faculty.

• Eliminate classroom technology.

• Eliminate College of Education degree programs at ABAC, Waycross, South Georgia colleges.

• Eliminate 1/4 of campus-based E-Learning courses.

• Eliminate faculty reassigned time for service activities.

• Eliminate 1/4 of computer labs on campus.

• Eliminate key administrative positions in central administration.

• Eliminate Continuing Education programs.

• Reduce library hours from 24/7 to 14/6 and reduce reference service to six hours per day. Reduce IT help desk operating hours to 8/5.

• Eliminate new acquisitions for library special collections and reduce general acquisitions, including databases.

• Eliminate one day per week from the summer session.

• Eliminate South Georgia Economic Development Center and Small Business Incubator.

• Eliminate women’s golf team.

• Eliminate University Honors College.

• Eliminate alcohol and drug program and student health promotions program.

• Eliminate Sophomore Year Experience program and Cooperative Education program.

• Eliminate housing complex directors.

• Eliminate University Communications unit.

• Eliminate auto shop.

• Eliminate physical plant warehouse.

• Eliminate college access examinations on campus.

Note: Some of these programs were proposed to begin in Fiscal Year 2011.