On June 17, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman announced the Board of Regents approval for his budget plan, which includes a $3.7 million budget cut for the coming year.
About one-third of the $3.7 million budget cuts will come from four programs which are seeing the most drastic decreases in funding: the Institute of Agricultural and Natural Resource's agriculture research division, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
Kelly Bartling, university manager of news, said each college was asked to find items in their budget for a budget cut.
"Cuts in specific programs happen to those in a disproportionate way," she said. "This is to preserve core functions and areas of strength at the university."
Institute of Agricultural and Natural Resource's agriculture research division
The single largest reduction of funding will be a $487,914 cut at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resource's agricultural research division's technical support.
"The Chancellor asked for ways to cut funding in a way that wouldn't hurt the department," said Gary Cunningham, Dean of the Agricultural Research Division. "We responded to that."
Cunningham believes the decrease in funding will have minimal affects in the long term. Short-term affects will include less money to replace equipment, but said he won't let facilities deteriorate.
"Our goal is to replace state funding with other types of income," he said.
Cunningham explained that the college will work to fund technical support with grants and donations. The budget cuts will not affect students' education or faculty jobs, he said.
The agricultural research division is the only public entity in Nebraska that conducts agricultural research. The division works as part of a national network doing hands-on research at land-grant universities across the U.S.
The Institute of Agricultural and Natural Resource's agricultural research division focuses on addressing Nebraska's agricultural and food industry issues, gaining knowledge for managing natural resources and encouraging community and family development.
"There is always concern with change," Cunningham said. "But if you keep talking and manage the changes well, there can be positive rather than negative results."
The College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is UNL's oldest and largest college.
Every undergraduate student must take a course in the college. Courses vary from political science, ethic studies, philosophy, English and many other areas of study.
The college also supports many organizations and offices, including the ANDRILL Science Management office, Cedar Point Biological Station, Harris Center for Judaic Studies, Women's and Gender Studies and Raikes School of Computer Science and Management.
David Manderscheid, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said the college will face a $385,292 budget cut.
"(This) is less than one percent of our budget (.7 percent to be exact)," Manderscheild wrote in his blog on June 18. "While this is a significant cut, it is only a small portion of our budget and thus I am confident that we will come through this relatively unscathed.
Certainly my goal is for the impact on our students, faculty and staff to be as minimal as possible."
The Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center
Known to students as "the Ross," the Mary Reipma Ross Media Arts Center will lose $50,885.
The Ross is an affiliate with the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. The center is influential in educating film studies students and offers independent films to the Lincoln community.
"We were expecting a budget cut, but didn't expect this much," said Danny Ladely, director of the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center. "We could live with 10 or 20 thousand in cuts, but this seems insurmountable."
When asked why he thought Chancellor Perlman chose the Ross as a program to cut funding, Ladely said he had no idea, but said the Ross has been very successful in collecting donations, writing grants and "operating in the black."
Ladely fears what affects the budget cut will have on students. He hopes to continue various Ross events such as student nights, free sneak previews and movies on the green.
"I feel a lot of anxiety," he said. "I am in physical pain. Supporters and others are concerned as well, and we will meet soon to develop a strategy."
Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum has enabled over 200 communities to create healthy and beautiful landscapes. The arboretum is losing $259,858, which, Interim Director Justin Evertson said is 40 percent of their budget.
"It has a huge impact on the program," he said. "We will lose three employees. This means our staff will go from eight employees to five."
The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum is the only East Campus program that resulted in job loss, Evertson said.
Evertson said this budget cut will have a positive impact on students: The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum will be looking for horticulture and agronomy student employees, interns and volunteers to put to work.
"This is real world-work," he said.
As for the future of the program, "The unit will survive," Evertson said. "We do work in every county, and we have a great group of supporters."
bradyevepotthoff@dailynebraskan.com
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