The northern Utah land-grant school announced its initial plans for consolidating departments and colleges in a letter to faculty and staff Thursday. Fears and concerns swiftly followed.
Interim USU President Alan L. Smith said in the message, though, it is unclear at this point how many “associated personnel reductions” will be necessary.
“I know these personnel impacts are of particular concern to our community, and we will work to communicate as quickly and clearly as possible to those affected when decisions are made,” he added.
For now, the university is looking at “two global structural changes,” Smith said. The hope is those will help the school meet the Legislature’s imposed $12.6 million cut this year, and a $4.8 million cut from the prior year.
Overall, the combined cut for the eight public schools across the state is $60.5 million this year, and $20 million from 2024. Each institution has a portion of the total, calculated based on their size, student body and operations, such as research.
Lawmakers have directed schools to cut “inefficient” programs that don’t graduate a large number of students and lead to lower-paying jobs. Under newly passed HB265, colleges and universities can then earn their share back — as long as they show it will be reallocated to programs that result in high-demand jobs with high salaries.
The state’s schools have been pressed to quickly draft their plans after the measure received final approval just last month. The first version of their plans is due to the Utah Board of Higher Education next month, with a formal presentation to follow in June. Final approval from the Legislature will come in August and September.
Read the full report at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.