I’ve heard about 15% budget cuts in higher education in Utah and Georgia, but how about 40% cuts in your state funding? That’s what is happening to Arizona State University. According to the president:
“To deal with cuts of this magnitude, we would need to:
- Layoff thousands more employees;
- Have a massive furlough of all remaining employees for two weeks or longer;
- Increase tuition and fees; (replacing the cuts by raising tuition alone would require a tuition rate of almost $11,000 for Arizona residents)
- Close academic programs.
- Close a campus or possibly two.
Wow. This is incredible. I worry that we are on the brink of dramatic changes to higher education that will not easily be reversed. While with crisis comes opportunity, that’s only if we can negotiate these challenges intelligently. But even smart changes can be painful as change is never easy.