Money will still be allocated for four additional ILC employees

Nearly 130 classes have been cancelled and the same number of jobs cut as a result of state-mandated budget cuts, UA President Peter Likins told the Arizona Board of Regents Friday.

None of the 128 classes that were cut were graduation requirements, and it is unclear how many of the 128 jobs that were eliminated were actually occupied, Likins said. The fact that the two numbers are the same is coincidental.

Likins said he will release a memo today stating the number of people who lost their jobs as a result of budget cuts. Of the jobs cut, 56 were adjunct faculty positions and the rest were temporary, full-time positions, Likins said.

The job and course cuts helped the university fulfill all but about $2 million out of $15.8 million in state-mandated budget cuts.

Likins and other senior administrators are still working to eliminate the remaining $1.96 million from the university's budget.

This year's budget cuts and concern over what funding the state Legislature may cut next year was on everyone's minds and lips when the regents met Friday at Arizona State University.

Northern Arizona University's president said his university is facing problems similar to UA, having to eliminate employees, classes and eventually some departments.

"When institutions have been through this process before, the net effect is that it will increase the time to graduate," said NAU President John Haeger.

Despite all the doom and gloom, there was one upbeat note for those who support the Integrated Learning Center.

Money within the UA budget will be reallocated to provide for hiring four ILC employees. The four new employees will be hired with the goal of opening the media center in January 2003.

The media center - an area that would allow instructors to catalogue their lectures through high-tech equipment - was not opened along with the rest of the center in January. Budget shortfalls prevented the university from purchasing equipment and hiring staff for the center.

The two new regents, Fred Boice and Robert Bulla, reflected on their business backgrounds and expressed concern over the budget shortage.

"I'd hate to run a business and look at the budget and have someone say, 'Here are the expenses, but I just don't know about the revenues,'" Boice said. "If I walked into a job at a business like that, I'd be out of there so quick it'd make your head spin."