Anticipating cuts in state funding, University officials announced Oct. 3 they will institute new budget cuts immediately.
University President John T. Casteen III announced the cuts in an e-mail to faculty and staff.
Earlier in the year, Gov. Mark R. Warner requested that all state agencies, including public universities, submit three budget proposals of 7, 11 and 15 percent cuts to their agency's funding.
If Warner announces the worst case scenario of a 15 percent cut, the University would stand to lose a total of $97 million from this cut and previous cuts.
Warner will announce the exact size of the cut on Tuesday, but last week the University decided to prepare for the worst and put into effect cuts based on a 15 percent reduction in state funding.
"We felt we needed to go ahead and be pro-active, so that if we get really bad news, we would be prepared," said Anda L. Webb, associate provost for management and budget.
Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget, added the University instituted the cuts before Warner's announcement because the school needed to start saving money as soon as possible.
"We're going to get something and it's probably going to be closer to 15 than to 7," Sheehy said.
Warner has declared the budget plans submitted to him to be confidential, meaning that University officials cannot yet comment on the specifics of the cuts.
"Our philosophy is to do everything we can to protect the core instructional mission of the University," Webb said.
This means maintaining the quality of faculty and making sure students can get into the classes they want are top priorities when considering what to cut, Webb added.
The current crop of cuts is not the first reduction in state funding the University has faced in recent months.
The potential cut of 7, 11 or 15 percent in state funds comes on top of a 7 percent cut that state officials had already planned for 2003 and an 8 percent cut for 2004.
The reductions in state money for higher education come as a result of the financial crises the Commonwealth currently is facing.
In August, Warner announced that the state faces a $1.5 billion budget deficit as a result of the state's economic woes.
"We inherited the largest budget shortfall in Virginia history," Warner said in a conference call with college newspapers from around the state, adding that "higher education will not be disproportionately cut."
Read More
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | 3 hours agoStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
Dean Rucker honored with Z Society’s highest honor, Pale Z Award
By Brendon Bordwine | 20 hours agoThe Society has a storied history of honoring University leaders with the Pale Z.
Students receive free STI testing through U.Va. Health and Wellness
By Jackie Bond | YesterdayThrough funding from Student Council, students are now able to receive free STI testing with SHW which includes tests for HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Hepatitis C.
