In the proposal, called “Rebasing for Western’s future,” President Bruce Shepard outlined proposed cuts that will further limit student choices for majors, programs and degrees. Non-tenured professors might be laid off and jobs around campus will be eliminated.

The cuts proposed could eliminate graduate school and redistribute responsibility to colleges. The cuts could also eliminate all undergraduate classes with fewer than 10 students and two majors: liberal studies and environmental journalism. Fairhaven’s teaching methodology would be assessed to reduce costs and make it more similar to Western.

Western’s state support at the end of the Washington state Legislature’s special session will be cut by 50 percent over the next three years — support that has been significantly decreasing every year for the past three years. Reductions to the operating budget over the next two years, after accounting for tuition, will be more than 13 percent, according to the proposal.

The operating budget for the 2010-11 school year was $121 million, a drop from 2009 when the operating budget was $127.8 million.

The proposed cuts are deep, and are part of the university’s strategy of “rebasing,” which involves cutting heavily in certain areas and focusing on what university officials have decided is the core mission of Western.

“We feel the best response to this reality is to rebase the university,” Shepard wrote in the proposal. “Thus, we can no longer continue to do all the wonderful things we now do and maintain the quality that our state has come to expect from Western.”

The goal behind the proposal is to cut deep enough so Western will not have to adjust when the Legislature decides on the final budget.

Several majors, programs and degrees are being considered for complete elimination. Students enrolled in these programs being eliminated will be allowed to complete their degree before it is phased out, according to the proposal.

The proposal also suggests Western’s graduate school may be eliminated. Responsibilities for graduate education would be given to individual colleges. All graduate programs will be under review for potential elimination determined by criteria that has not yet been released. Three graduate programs have already been selected for possible eliminations, but, again, the names have not yet been released.

The proposal states that no tenured faculty will be laid off. The university expects to retain all tenure-track faculty, but nothing is guaranteed at this point in the budget discussions.

Starting in the academic year of 2011-12, enrollment will be suspended in nine additional academic options, minors, and degree options. Areas affected include audiology, environmental journalism, technology education, education administration, special education and student affairs.

All undergraduate classes with fewer than 10 students will be eliminated, according to the proposal. The effect of this will mostly be seen in Fairhaven, where some classes are in this category.

The university is also looking to make cuts in areas around campus including recreation, Viking Union, Associated Students, the AS Bookstore, athletics and the health center.

Employees for many of the service areas around campus will be laid off under the proposal, such as facilities management.

Some student positions in the Viking Union and the bookstore will be eliminated. Other positions could be eliminated in the registrar, academic and career development services, new student services and family outreach.

Athletics will also make cuts, resulting in less travel and equipment. Teams will need to increase their fundraising efforts in order to maintain current conditions.

Many positions around the university will be cut including positions in university relations, university advancement, student affairs and academic support, and disability resources.

The public will have an opportunity to voice their concerns at the University Planning and Resource Council meetings about the proposal, which will be held from 10 a.m. - noon and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. on Friday, May 6, and at the same time on Friday, May 13.

Western’s Board of Trustees would usually adopt the budget in early June, but that may be delayed if the Legislature does not decide on a budget soon.

The AS will hold a meeting to discuss the proposal at 4 p.m. on May 12 in Communications Facility Room 115.
As part of the normal budgetary process, the council will consider sections of the proposal, including university advancement, the College of Humanities and Social Science, the College of Fine and Performing Arts, Fairhaven and Woodring colleges at a meeting on Wednesday, May 11.

The council will hear the remainder of the budget proposal on Wednesday, May 18, which includes the College of Business and Economics, the College of Sciences and Technology, Huxley College and the library. Both of these meetings will be broadcast on the university planning and budgeting website at wwu.edu/upb.