UAA academic programs facing major budget cuts

University of Alaska Anchorage academic department heads were told to brace for 25 percent budget cuts in several programs last week.

On Monday, Feb 24, emails went out on programs that could be terminated or consolidated.

There was a list of programs recommended for continuation, but that’s only for next year. The university must absorb another big budget cut the year after next, so all bets may be off again.

Meetings with higher officials in the university were to be held with senior faculty late Monday.

An appeal period is being allowed for recommendations, but after that the hit list for programs will go to university president Jim Johnsen. Ultimately the Board of Regents will make final decisions.

For the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the “suspend or discontinue” list sent by email Monday, according to sources familiar with the reviews, included masters degrees in English; clinical psychology; early childhood special education; creative writing and literary arts along with undergraduate degrees in environment and society; sociology; theatre; and among the language offerings, Chinese.

Courses recommended to be continued, for now at least, include graduate programs in clinical-community psychology; applied geological sciences and biological Sciences. Undergraduate degrees recommended to continue for now include: Alutiiq Language; Anthropology; Art; Biological Sciences; Chemistry; Childrens’ Mental Health; Early Childhood Development; Education Leadership; English; Geological Sciences; History; International Studies; Journalism and Public Communications; Language Education; Mathematics; Music; Natural Sciences; Philosophy; and Political Science.

These courses are in the College of Arts and Sciences and each of UAA’s colleges would have similar lists but those were not available. How the colleges of business, engineering, health and the community and technical colleges are affected is not known at this time.

Also, similar program reviews are underway at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, but those are on different schedules.

The university explained its situation in a posting on the UAA website:

“Expedited program review is occurring in order to meet new fiscal realities resulting from $70 million in state budget cuts to the university system over a three-year period. This cut influenced the board (of Regents) to direct UAA to consolidate programs and services quickly to meet our share of the fiscal year ‘21 reduction,” UAA said I the statement.

“UAA’s budget cuts are substantial. In light of this new budget reality, UAA leadership is doing all it can to identify a path forward. This means investing in and growing academic programs that meet Alaska’s needs, consolidating programs and services feasible and changing the way we offer programs.

It also means that in order to ensure the university’s long-term viability, UAA will need to offer fewer academic majors than we do currently,” the statement said.

“The expedited program review process will ensure we have both quantitative and qualitative data for making difficult, but fair decisions.”

The $70 million cut over three years includes $25 million in state funds cut in the current budget year; $25 million next year and $20 million in the following year. This was the agreement reached last spring between Gov. Mike Dunleavy and university president Johnsen in which Dunleavy backed off from his original proposal of a $140 million reduction of state funds, or 41 percent, in one year for the UA system.