UNLV to be smaller, more expensive, says president

UNLV probably will be a smaller, more expensive institution in the future, the university's president said Wednesday.

If the higher education system takes a 10 percent cut, as Gov. Jim Gibbons has proposed, UNLV President Neal Smatresk told the Review-Journal's editorial board that the university's state-funded budget will be one-third less than it was in 2007.

The state-funded budget is already 24 percent smaller, he said, coming up about $42 million short of where it was in 2007. Another 10 percent would mean somewhere near $13 million more has to be cut from the main campus's budget.

About half the university's $246 million approved 2009-10 budget came from the state's general fund. The rest came from tuition, fees and federal stimulus money.

Smatresk said more cuts will necessitate cutting some entire departments and majors, though he did not specify which ones. He estimated that between five and 10 departments would have to be eliminated.

UNLV currently enrolls about 28,000 students. If programs and majors are eliminated, and with less money to pay faculty and staff, Smatresk said there won't be room for that many students. He did not say how much enrollment might shrink.

More cuts also would mean the university ultimately will have to charge students higher tuition and fees.

The state higher education system's Board of Regents has increased tuition and fees 39 percent in the past five years. Despite that, Nevada's universities are among the lowest priced in the region, with the in-state cost for a full-time student about $4,400 a year.

Smatresk has floated a plan to charge more for higher-cost programs, such as science and nursing, than for low-cost ones, such as liberal arts. The proposal has yet to be considered by the full Board of Regents.

Responding to earlier cuts, the university has eliminated 100 faculty positions, 260 staff positions, and 1,000 class sections. The budget for part-time instructors has been cut 30 percent.

Smatresk said tenured and tenure-track professors have seen their workload increase 21 percent, as measured by how many students they teach.

On Tuesday, he froze all hiring until university officials know how much will be cut from the budget.

The Legislature is scheduled to begin a special session next Tuesday to decide how to deal with an almost $900 million revenue shortfall.

Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.