Clark College, WSUV face major cuts, lower enrollment
Wednesday, November 19 | 9:42 p.m.
BY THE COLUMBIAN
Clark College President Bob Knight and other community college leaders were previously told to brace for state funding cuts of up to 20 percent in the 2009-11 budget cycle.
Now, the cuts might reach 30 percent, given a dire new state budget forecast.
“That is huge. That is major, major impact on a community college,” a grim Knight said on Wednesday. “We’re going to have to make drastic cuts.”
Widespread layoffs are likely. Clark might have to consider caps on student enrollment — counter to its foremost mission — right when the poor economy is driving up demand, he said.
Tough decisions are due by March, to give faculty and other staff required termination notice ahead of the fall 2009 term, Knight said.
A new Columbia Tech Center satellite branch campus should open on time next summer. Its completion triggers vital funding, Knight said. But class sessions could be limited.
Construction of a new science, technology and mathematics classroom building on the main Vancouver campus and a future North Clark County satellite each might be delayed two years, he said.
At Washington State University Vancouver in Salmon Creek, Chancellor Hal Dengerink also warned colleagues on Wednesday of significant changes.
WSU leaders in Pullman have issued no directive on specific budget cuts, in dollars or percentage, Dengerink said. But he knows the crunch will come.
Among likely changes:
-- A new WSUV electrical engineering degree program will still launch in autumn 2009, but won’t expand as quickly as proposed.
-- Admissions for incoming freshman student might drop sharply. About 270-280 freshman slots had been planned next autumn.
-- Several teaching faculty, classified staff and administrative positions will go unfilled. That would impact deaf teacher training, nursing practice instruction, engineering program enrollment and a proposed autism research and training program.
“We’re kind of assuming none of that’s going to happen next year,” Dengerink said.
by Karde Mee : 11/26/08 1:32am - Report Abuse
After reading about the possible WA State budget shortfall and the potential budget cuts that are needed to meet the requirements of the 2009/11 budget.One of the worst places to cut the WA state for the 2009/11 budget, the last place WA State should make major cuts is the staffing of higher education institutions like its community colleges. When multitudes of people are getting laid off, and they need to get retrained, community colleges are one of the first places where people will look too, people will be flocking to community colleges when they have gotten laid off or lost their jobs.
Cutting the staffing of our community colleges is probably the worst decision that the State could make, cutting community college funding during tough economic times when we need them the most is simply ridiculous and unwise. Community colleges should be flourishing during tough economic times, and could provide more revenue to the state budget.
If the state is going to make cuts in higher education institutions, like community colleges they should start by going to four day work weeks to save on energy cost and operating expenses, this has been done at different colleges and it has proven to cut operating expenses substantially, if the state must make staffing cuts, they reduce the hours of the staff but not lay them off, or make deep job cuts, when the community needs its community colleges more than ever. The last thing we need is our trained staff running off to other states when we need the more than ever.