The University of Oregon is facing between $25 million and $30 million in budget cuts amidst rising costs and federal uncertainty.
UO had been expecting a deficit and was already preparing to make some budget cuts at the beginning of the year, totalling about $2.3 million. At the time, university leaders asked the state to step in.
In a town hall Monday, University of Oregon President Karl Scholz said it appears unlikely that state funding will make up for the drop in out-of-state tuition from California students, as well as the reduction in international students.
He said new data showing lower than expected enrollment, paired with high pension costs and federal funding uncertainty, have put the university in a difficult position.
"We have to figure out what we can do less of, and choose those things wisely so they don't jeopardize our commitments to students, our commitment to research excellence,” Scholz told faculty and students. “[We can] then try to improve on those smaller set of things that we're doing.”
During the town hall, UO Provost Christopher Long said strategies that have worked in the past – such as furloughs – won’t be enough to make up for the drop in enrollment or reductions in research funds.
He said UO may need to reduce, or eliminate some programs.
"Everything has to be looked at, at this point, so we need to be thinking about all possibilities and looking at it holistically," he said.
Long said the university hasn’t made any decisions about specific programs or majors that could be cut, and any students enrolled in an eliminated program would still be able to finish their degree.
He said the school will also uphold the agreements it made with its labor unions.
Long said administrative budgets will be slashed by 4% and academic departments by 2.5%. UO will decide those and other cuts over the summer as it looks for ways to downsize. UO’s Board of Trustees will make decisions about the budget when they next meet in September.
