State schools feeling the pinch

Most colleges and universities across the US are facing cuts in state funding of up to 20%, and many are preparing by cutting administrative costs, hiring fewer faculty, and focusing their resources on already strong programs. Proposed state budgets aren't final yet; however, despite the fact that it only gets 4% of its $2.9 billion budget from the state, the University of Washington is bracing itself for hard times. The expected 13% cut in state funding, said President Mark Emmert, is "the worst in many decades." To compound the problem, the gloomy job market has spurred many to seek refuge in graduate school, meaning that the university must accommodate a spike in demand at the same time its budget is being slashed.

The University of Washington
courtesy of Wonderlane via flickr

To contain the damage, the school is hiking tuition by about 7% and whittling down its administrative budget in areas like information technology, Emmert said. Research in the life sciences may be hit indirectly by reduced hiring and less support staff, said Ana Mari Cauce, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The UW, which trails only Johns Hopkins in bringing in federal research dollars, expects grant funding through the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health to be flat or increase slightly, she said. But external grants cannot be used for most faculty hires or administrative support, Cauce said. To adjust to the shortfall in their $120 million annual budget from the state, the College of Arts and Sciences plans to reduce new faculty hires and will offer fewer research and teaching assistantships. Cauce is trying to shield high impact research faculty, but that may mean lower performing professors will shoulder increased course loads, she added. She is also studying whether to reduce the number of courses the UW offers that smaller state schools or community colleges also provide, such as beginner's Spanish. "We want our very best faculty to continue to function at the very top level of their research," she said.

Pennsylvania State University
courtesy of Shidairyproduct via flickr

Even if the current economic woes are short-term, schools will still have to make adjustments. Pennsylvania State University, in State College, is anticipating a 10-20% cut in state funding at the Huck Institute of Life Sciences, said director Peter Hudson. The university receives 9.4% of its $3.4 billion budget from the state. The institute is planning to limit funding for training and travel to meetings, reduce the number of faculty hires, and offer fewer research assistantships to offset the shortfall. In addition, Hudson plans to make cuts in underperforming areas, instead bolstering more successful areas like genomics, infectious disease, plant sciences, and neuroscience, he said. Yet Penn State is well-positioned to emerge stronger than it is now from the economic downturn, providing it doesn't last too long, he said, because it is still hiring some faculty and proceeding with plans for key buildings on campus. "If it's just a hiccup, I think Penn State is in a very strong position to just weather the storm," he said.

Idaho State University
courtesy of Ken_Lund via flickr

Idaho State University (ISU), in the town of Pocatello, is also facing a 10% cut in its $82 million budget, which includes $2.8 million annually for biological sciences. But unlike other state schools, almost 30% of that money comes from state funds, said Terry Bowyer, the chair of biological sciences. To offset the shortfall, Bowyer is hoping to slash administrative costs, boost enrollment in areas such as the biological sciences, and increase the push for outside funding through grants, he said. "There may not be any phones left in the building, but I think it's really critical that we preserve our people," he said. Not all small state schools are suffering, however, and at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, the picture isn't quite so dire. In 2005, the last year a report was available, the USD's total operating was $82 million. The school receives about $42 million from the state, and is expecting the legislature to approve a one-time $ 400,000 cut in the 2009 fiscal year, in addition to a recurring $120,000 cut, said President Chuck Staben. Though the university is facing challenges because expenses and obligations are rising while budget spending is flat, "compared to many other states our funding is fairly stable."

University of South Dakota
courtesy of Jerry7171 via flickr

To deal with the blip in funding, Staben plans to reduce programs that are not pulling in enough outside money or attracting few students to its, though Staben wouldn't specify which programs in particular. "The good news, I think, for research in the life sciences, is that the life sciences as a career option and as an educational pursuit remain very popular, and there is good funding," he said. The economic cloud may have a silver lining for state schools. Because of the ailing job market, the number of stellar researchers seeking employment has spiked. Meanwhile, the Ivy League schools, which usually increase their edge in times of hardship, have seen large portions of their endowments evaporate. Since the Harvards, Yales and Princetons are hiring fewer tenure-track professors, strong state schools are in a better position to attract the brightest researchers and build up their departments, said Penn State's Hudson. "Right now it's a buyer's market," said University of Washington's Cauce. That gives schools the possibility of coming out of the recession stronger than they came in, she said. The schools that thrive will likely be those subject to fewer cuts, or those that somehow manage "to put together some temporary money for the next two to four years," said Cauce. "Those folks are going to win big."