The Brunswick News
3/2/2010
By ERIKA CAPEK
College of Coastal Georgia could revert to junior college status after just one year as a four-year school if the state budget continues to deteriorate.
The elimination of four-year degree programs is among the worst-case scenarios administrators came up when a General Assembly subcommittee asked all state colleges and universities to list cuts that could be made beginning July 1, if necessary.
Even though college president Valerie Hepburn included the possibility as a way to help save $300 million statewide, it is not a plan she is advocating.
"I absolutely will not let that happen," she said. "This community has worked too hard to lose our four-year school."
The college began operating as a four-year institution this past fall with four bachelor's degree programs - business administration, early childhood/special education, middle grades education and nursing, which just began spring semester.
Facing a demand for further spending reductions, presidents of all 35 state colleges and universities worked over the weekend to list programs they would eliminate and other actions they could take if they would be forced to make severe budget cuts.
"We do not intend on this to become a reality," Hepburn said Monday of a loss of four-year status. "As scary as it looks, we know in the end this is not what's going to happen. There's been too much done, too much promise here."
College of Coastal Georgia officials outlined more than $2.3 million in possible cutbacks for the Legislature.
In addition to the draconian measure of returning to a junior college, College of Coastal Georgia administrators suggested the possibilities of eliminating 37 positions, eliminating learning support courses from the college curriculum, as well as state support for the Center for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning.
The college also raised the possibility of eliminating programs such as radiological technology and clinical laboratory technology from its career associate allied health courses.
In a letter sent to University System Chancellor Erroll Davis, Hepburn said college administrators will continue working to find other ways to address resource needs and to make reductions, if necessary.
In the meantime, administrators plan to presume that this autumn will begin the college's second full year as a bachelor's degree-granting institution.
"We intend to continue aggressive student and faculty recruitment and ongoing development of our baccalaureate programs," she wrote.
The budget scenarios developed for the 35 colleges and universities have not been reviewed or approved by the Board of Regents, the governing board that makes final decisions about budgets for the University System.
The Joint House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Legislature asked presidents to produce a list of budget reductions of $300 million Thursday. That number is over and above the $265 million in reductions already reflected in the budget Gov. Sonny Perdue has recommended for fiscal 2011, which begins July 1.
The state is being forced to cut because of revenue shortfalls due to the poor economy. All departments and agencies are being told to reduce spending proposals.
Hepburn said it will be April before officials are able to see what the final numbers for colleges in the University System will look like.
"This is so, so very early in the process," she said. "Of course, for us, in order to come up with the level of cuts, we just don't have a lot of places to cut."
She said it is not her intention to eliminate the baccalaureate programs and that college officials are looking at every other option before such a drastic cut would be made.
"It's tough for the faculty and staff, but it's toughest for the students,"
Hepburn said.