ATLANTA --- Budget cutbacks have hit every facet of state government from troopers to social workers, and the 35 public colleges and universities haven't been exempt.
Parents, students and taxpayers might worry the cuts could be so substantial that schools will be permanently weakened and lose some of their standing.
In the draft plans submitted by institutions to the Board of Regents, the estimated impact of the cuts ranges from "increased likelihood of vandalism and theft" because of the College of Coastal Georgia's reducing police patrols at the Camden Center to reduced recruitment of physician-scientists at Medical College of Georgia.
Much of the cost savings comes from reduced travel, postponed equipment upgrades, delayed maintenance or leaving positions vacant. The campus administrators describe the effects of many of these as inconveniences.
College presidents are trying to find savings that won't affect students much.
"We think we can do this without layoffs," MCG President Dan Rahn said, though he acknowledges he also has to consider patients' needs.
Some schools won't be able to avoid laying off faculty, which will mean some courses won't be taught and some will be taught less often, classes will be bigger and qualified students will be turned away from popular majors.
The University of Georgia, for example, would have to lay off 78 faculty, 42 staff and 23 graduate assistants if its budget is cut 4 percent. Layoffs would total as many as 582 this fiscal year if 8 percent cuts are needed.
Tax collections during the recession were off 9.6 percent the first month of the fiscal year, July, compared with the previous July, which saw a 6.6 percent decline. The sliding revenue led Gov. Sonny Perdue to withhold 5 percent of the appropriations for the University System of Georgia and every other state agency and to require three days of furloughs and plans for permanent cuts of 4, 6 and 8 percent. The Board of Regents doubled the number of mandatory furloughs.
In UGA's plan, administrators' frustrations come through.
"In the longer term, we expect the best and brightest student may choose to leave Georgia to attend college elsewhere, given the impact of these reductions on the quality of UGA's educational programs," they wrote.
But experts who follow higher education regionally and nationally say such predictions are premature.
"Unfortunately, it's one of those things that it's too early to tell," said Joe Marks, an education-budget analyst at the Southern Regional Education Board.
Gauging the impact of budget cuts isn't easy, he said.
"You want to ask it in a comparative fashion because everybody's been zapped. You're not going to find in our region a state that is just sailing along," he said.
Rob Franek, the author of The Princeton Review's The Best 371 Colleges , notes the same thing.
"From what we're seeing from our research nationally, we're seeing so many other states are dealing with pressures from cutbacks as well," he said.
Kim Clark, a reporter for U.S. News & World Report , wrote a story for the magazine's current issue that includes the annual college rankings. She reported that budget problems in other states have been even more severe, from a 14 percent tuition increase in Washington state to a Florida college that eliminated its marching band and cheerleading squad to a California cap on how many classes students can take that will make it difficult for them to finish in four years.
"Remember that rankings are relative. So, if all schools increase class size in exactly the same way and proportion, then there won't be any change in the order," said Ms. Clark, whose job doesn't include the rankings.
University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll Davis told reporters recently that with the difficult job market leading more people to either stay in school or return to college, coping with ballooning enrollment is a greater concern than whether students will pick other schools.
"One thing I don't think about is a lack of students at this moment," he said.
With the state budget shrinking and education the biggest share of it, educators can't expect to avoid cuts, he said. His goal is to get the 35 college and university presidents to make what he calls structural changes, permanent elimination of unneeded programs, program consolidations and other steps that will boost efficiency. Postponing purchases, cutting travel and delaying maintenance can't be sustained long term.
Real economizing is necessary, he said. The university system received $92 million in federal stimulus money that prevented more drastic immediate cuts, but that disappears in two years. When that money runs out, the state budget is unlikely to have recovered enough to fill the gap.
To students, Mr. Davis has a frank message.
"They should not have an expectation that they will be spared the impacts of this economic downturn more than any other individual in society," he said. "So, they are going to be impacted, but they should also understand that we're working to be more efficient, more productive and do all that we can to make sure they still receive a quality education."
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Lets see here, 42 staffers to take care of 78 faculty? Seems as if each faculty member need almost a dedicated secretary. And 123 ataffers equals 4%, but 8% equals 582 employees, in the same sentence? Someone needs to do some better math in the business department, because the figures they are using are baseless. This is a perfect example of why reporters should be familiar with 3d grade mathematics and have the ability to ask questions and not just take notes and nod their heads. And finally, if they are not going to maintain the facilities, just how long do they think they will last? It is time for some Jimmy Carter "zero based budgeting" which I hated, but was effective.