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OLYMPIA -- Washington State University will cut more than $54 million from its budget over the next two years, including eliminating 370 jobs and several academic programs and reorganizing its administration.
In the Tri-Cities that means keeping six vacant jobs open and eliminating three others, but no academic programs will be axed, WSU officials announced Friday.
Those cuts will total an estimated $711,000, or about 10 percent of its state funding.
The Richland-based campus employs 64 professors, 72 academic and administrative staff, and 75 staff in the Early Outreach department. It also contracts with 285 adjunct professors on a course-by-course basis.
"The Tri-Cities campus got the least amount of cuts in all of the WSU system," James "Dick" Pratt, WSU Tri-Cities vice chancellor for academic affairs, told an early morning gathering of staff at the branch campus.
"It was close to being a pass. People have been kind to us. We will come out of this better than we ever thought we would. We might even come out even based on increased enrollment numbers."
But growing enrollment could prove to be a challenge if 15 percent more students show up for classes next year, as is estimated, Pratt said.
The campus already has about 140 more students than the state pays to instruct, he said. And it remains to be seen whether rising tuition will deter some students from coming.
Jaime Contreras, director of student affairs in the Tri-Cities, said, "Students are aware there must be some sacrifice" but they were hoping for a smaller tuition increase.
And Latinos could feel the effects if officials follow through with a preliminary plan to eliminate the department responsible for reaching out to their communities.
On the chopping block is the Department of Community and Rural Sociology, where Jose Garcia-Pabon has spent nearly two years developing ways to bring educational programs to Latinos.
Garcia-Pabon has an office at WSU Tri-Cities, but is employed by the WSU Extension system. His work includes helping educators to reach Latinos and providing information in rural areas about educational opportunities. That includes access to college or community education such as the Pathways program in Pasco that teaches literacy to Latino child care providers.
He also helps to break down stereotypes by giving presentations about Latino communities and culture, and serving on community boards.
WSU Provost Warwick Bayly said no university employees have been given formal layoff notices -- that will happen sometime around June 1 -- but Garcia-Pabon said the writing is on the wall with the elimination of his department.
"I was starting to build a program of research and outreach statewide," he said. "It was my goal, my objective, what I want to do. It is not going to happen anymore if I would have to go."
Pratt said although the regional campus has other people who directly recruit Latino students, local officials like the foundation Garcia-Pabon has built.
"I'm pretty concerned about it because we take Latino outreach very seriously, and we want to feed the pipeline of Latino students and want to see that they go to college," he said. "It is a really important aspect of the university's work to have a community relations person working with the Latino community."
The operating budget passed by the Legislature last week, but not yet signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, cut about 21.5 percent from the state funding for four-year universities to help balance a $9 billion deficit.
WSU's share was $100 million, but with federal economic stimulus money and tuition increases the final estimate was $54 million.
Lawmakers allowed four-year colleges to raise tuition up to 14 percent a year for 2009-11, meaning a net reduction of about 10.4 percent for WSU.
Bayly said tuition for resident undergraduates likely would rise by $870 for the 2009-10 school year, from $6,218 to $7,088. Tuition is expected to increase another $1,000 for 2010-11.
Nonprofessional graduate tuition would rise 5 percent. For in-state students, that amounts to $378 in the first year.
Professional graduate students, such as those in the business or nursing schools, would see their tuition rise 10 percent a year.
Tuition increases must be approved by the Board of Regents. The board is scheduled to meet next Friday in Spokane to approve tuition rates.
Overall, major cuts will be made to the university's core agriculture research and extension programs, plus engineering, liberal arts and sciences, reported The Associated Press. The school's branch campus in Vancouver also will see deep cuts, according to the plan released Friday by President Elson Floyd.
Nursing and medical education were not cut at all, and library funding was barely reduced.
Academic programs up for elimination include sports management, the Department of Theater and Dance, the Department of Community and Rural Sociology and degrees in German, reported AP.
Those decisions were based low enrollment or the ability to provide a quality product, Floyd said. Students majoring in those fields will be allowed to complete their degrees, but new students will not be admitted.
Of the job cuts, 165 will come from eliminating open positions. Another 206 will be layoffs. WSU has 6,200 employees.
The Vancouver campus will lose 29 jobs and cut $3.3 million. Spokane will have $800,000 in cuts and eliminate 13 positions.
In addition, Beasley Coliseum, where the WSU basketball team plays, will be run on a self-supporting basis without state funding. The athletic department's budget will be cut by $350,000. And custodial and maintenance services also will be reduced.
For a complete breakdown of budget reductions, go to suggest.french.wsu.edu/main/BudgetPlan.aspx.
