UNLV Faculty Senate meeting liveblog: Governor's budget will require declaration of exigency

UNLV President Smatresk: At direction of Board of Regents, in agreement with other NSHE presidents and Chancellor, we are proceeding to plan to implement cuts in Governor's budget proposed budget. To meet these cuts, by 1 July 2012, we will need a plan ready and the Board of Regents would need to declare financial exigency. We must now begin process of planning that preserves the University.

Under chapter III, section 19.4 of UNLV bylaws forming Faculty Advisory Committee to seek measures that "may be taken to avert exigency" and to provide input on planning cuts to be made if exigency is declared.

Looking to System and Board for leadership on measures to be taken to avert exigency.

Exigency declaration may come very late in budget planning cycle and would lead us to convene an Ad Hoc Exigency Committee as mandated by System Code and UNLV bylaws.

Accrediting agency has stated publicly that higher education in NV is in state of "resource collapse."

We will no longer be able to achieve mission of providing degrees to the region. That is the logical outcome of the budget considerations we need to make.

We must abandon thinking that we will not change. We are being asked to change. Pledges to meet that mandate "without joy but with determination."

UNLV Provost: To this point, non-academic support areas have borne heavier share of cuts. No longer possible. If the Governor's budget is passed, cuts to academic areas will be greater than $25 million by end of FY 2012. Is charging Deans to prepare budgets to hit this target and to identify departments and programs that would be eliminated to hit these targets.

Smatresk: We can hope level of cut will be mitigated by legislatures, Governor, by Board, by other vertical cuts in NSHE. But we must prepare to identify core programs that would be maintained.

Exigency is not a process that honors tenure.