2 Idaho univ. officials warn more budget cuts could threaten programs, student opportunities

2 Idaho univ. presidents decry more budget cuts

BOISE, Idaho — Leaders at two Idaho public universities say lawmakers have relied on them too much to help make up for shortfalls in state revenue, turning the higher education budget into a bank account.

Boise State University President Bob Kustra and University of Idaho President Duane Nellis said further cuts could threaten programs and put college out of reach for some students because of tuition and fee increases.

The presidents, along with their governmental liaisons, detailed their concerns at a legislative preview Thursday sponsored by The Associated Press.

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter in September ordered hold backs in spending for the second straight year, cutting state agencies by an average of 4 percent. Public universities and colleges already operating on leaner budgets compared to last year were told to scale back another 6 percent, or $15.2 million.

The schools are bracing for more fallout from the recession with governor poised to announce more cuts on Monday.

“We’ve already cut, just in last year, about $20 million dollars from our budget,” Nellis said. “We’re moving forward … but I worry about the strain that these cutbacks are having on our faculty and staff.”

Legislators have historically turned to higher education funding to help shore up other budgets during times of economic hardship, said Bruce Newcomb, a former House speaker and Boise State’s director of government affairs.

Newcomb made the case for the creation of a rainy day account for colleges, similar to the fund lawmakers set aside several years ago for K-12 public schools so “we can somehow stabilize the consequences of these downturns.”

“These are extraordinary times, times that none of us have ever experienced,” Newcomb said. “We need to make sure we don’t do irreparable damage when it comes to higher education.”

Boise State’s president said almost all new degree programs have been put hold.

“We were able to eek out one new master’s degree in chemistry and we did that very creatively by simply going back and reorganizing our undergraduate education in chemistry,” Kustra said. “We increased class sizes significantly. Something along the way was probably lost there, but that was the sacrifice that had to occur.”

AT the same time, tuition is covering a much larger share of the cost to educate students, Kustra said.

Ten years ago, 25 percent of the to educate a student at Boise State University was covered by tuition. That number has jumped to 43 percent and is expected to keep increasing, potentially leaving behind legions of students, Kustra said.

“As that tuition rises, we start losing students in the lower socio-economic rings of the ladder,” Kustra said, “and that’s particularly scary.”