The Board of Governors discussed the consequences of budget cuts Friday morning at its March meeting. The meeting took place at the Spangler Center in Chapel Hill, where delegates representing each school in the UNC system gathered to outline the system’s plans for surviving the economic crisis.

“We’re at step two of a five step dance,” UNC System President Erskine Bowles said of the BOG’s progress towards finalizing the system’s budget issues. “But it’s not a waltz. It’s tough sledding.”

Chancellor James Oblinger echoed Bowles’ sentiments that the budget conversation is not over.

“The jury is still out on what [the final budget] will look like,” Oblinger said.

Oblinger said Bowles’ proposals to Governor Bev Perdue on the UNC system budget have all been received well, as the BOG works to ensure academics aren’t needlessly impacted. 

Cuts will have a “severe impact on campuses”, Bowles said, though he said he’ll fight to keep academics as whole as possible.

“[We’re doing] everything we can to make sure [the BOG knows] how important it is to invest in universities and community colleges,” Bowles said. “I’m going to fight to my last breath to protect the academic core.”

During the recession of 2001, the UNC System invested heavily in its universities in an effort to guarantee prosperity in the future, and Bowles said this is what must be done again as the economy struggles.

“We’re in another crisis,” Bowles said. “If we don’t continue to invest in knowledge, the economy will suffer.”

Still, there will be direct effects on students that can’t be avoided, Bowles said. They will have to wait longer to graduate due to larger classes, fewer courses, and less advising.

The BOG voted to discontinue 77 degree programs throughout the system’s 16 campuses, including five of NCSU’s degree programs. The degrees cut from the University’s curriculum are Bachelor of Science in Health Occupations Education, Master of Science in Agricultural and Resource Economics, Master of Science and Master of Education in Special Ed., Behavior Disorders, Master of Science and Master of Education in Special Ed., Mental Retardation and Master of Science and Master of Education in Special Ed., Learning Disabilities.

“We had over $2 million in reductions,” Bowles said. “We can’t afford to be all things to all people.”

A grandfather clause will allow students enrolled in the discontinued degree programs to finish their coursework and receive their degree, but no new students will be able to enroll in the curriculums.

Oblinger said the BOG examines the system annually to determine where cuts could be made, but said this year’s failed search for excess has led to the cutting of things close to academics.

“There isn’t any more fat to trim,” Oblinger said. “Now, we’re trimming muscle.”

Oblinger also added that this year’s economic state has led the system to perform cuts it would otherwise avoid, including consolidating programs and removing a few others.

“Due to the magnitude of cuts,” Oblinger said. “Everyone will feel some pain – including students.”

Oblinger said the University will be creative in making cuts, though Bowles and he both agree that no cuts should occur “across the board.”

“CHASS will see sections and seats cut,” Bowles said, adding that other colleges will make other cuts. “There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for fixing the budget. We’ll curtail supply purchases, and [not] replace computers the way we planned.”

Oblinger said students will also notice professors teaching more classes.

“Our faculty will take on higher teaching loads,” he said.

The higher teaching loads could be the result of the 400-500 employees Bowles said the system would cut, but he said voluntary furloughs will assist departments in retaining faculty.

“We’ve supported furloughs,” Bowles said. “[The faculty is willing] to give up a couple days pay instead of [us] losing someone we’ll need to come out of [the depression.]”

Universities will also be employing fewer temporary faculty members and focus on increasing enrollment to keep the quality of academics high.

Oblinger said the system was better off than it could be, had the state government not realized in September “the country was in a hurt.”

“Governor Mike Easley told us to start planning for three, five, and seven percent cut backs,” Oblinger said. “We’ve seen it coming.”

Oblinger said with 40 percent of the system’s money coming from the state, it was easy to see that cuts were necessary, but the system’s difficulty is in protecting its academics.

“Our core mission is the education of our students,” Oblinger said. “We’re looking at anything and everything [to] identify things that are not key to the core so when the economy turns around, the things we do best will be able to get back on target.”