ASU Disestablishes programs and degrees

Iâm in Oklahoma at the moment (more anon perhaps) but was dismayed, to put it mildly, to see the following announcement come from ASUâs Provost:

The funding lost in the recently revised FY09 state budget has forced Arizona State University to cap enrollment and to close applications to next yearâs freshman class on March 1, five months earlier than usual. â¦

ASU is also closing about four dozen academic programs, many on the Tempe campus, and scaling down administrative operations at its Polytechnic and West campuses, in response to state budget reductions, which have totaled $88 million or 18% of the universityâs base state budget since June 2008. â¦

Additional cuts in state funding in FY 10 would force ASU to consider additional staff layoffs, a substantial increase in tuition and fees, further limitations on student enrollment, and closing the Polytechnic and West campuses entirelyâ¦

The new FY09 budget, after a reduction of $88 million in state funding, reduces ASUâs per-student funding from the state general fund to what it was 10 years ago. ASU received $7,976 per student in 2008. The $6,500 per student the university receives for 2009 is only $4 more per student than it received in 1998â¦

In addition to these changes, another three dozen academic programs have stopped taking student applications and the process of disestablishing them has begun

There are going to be staff and contract faculty layoffs in many programs. Thankfully, my own unit â the Honors College â seems to have survived this round, though scrolling down the list of programs facing the axe was not a pleasant experience. I hope the Republicans in the State Senate are happy.

More info here.

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Nothing new. Cutting undergraduate programs is a standard negotiating maneuver for Arizona universities. It's the one thing that the voters really care about, so it's a classic hostage ploy.

Been that way since at least the 60s.

By D. C. Sessions (not verified) on 11 Feb 2009 #permalink

Dismayed but hardly surprised. At this point, I will be surprised to have a job come fall. The department was supposed to give us our letters of rehire months ago. Guess they're afraid to give the bad news with so many weeks remaining this semester. *sigh*

By Stephanie Downie (not verified) on 11 Feb 2009 #permalink

" I hope the Republicans in the State Senate are happy
"

I don't.
I hope they're extremely miserable!

OT, but I am planning to attend the event tomorrow and look forward to seeing you speak here in OK as part the Darwin anniversary celebration. Hope all goes well, see you there.
Cheers,
Ray