More than a dozen colleges and universities have announced budget cuts, staff layoffs and tuition increases in June and midway through July to cope with rising budget deficits.
Leaders of California's two largest public university systems have aired their concerns about Gov. Gavin Newsom's state budget proposal, which is expected to reduce up to 8% of their funding in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
"As a result of our budget decisions, the university will be in a position to allocate sufficient funds to ensure no college starts FY 2025 in a budget deficit," University of Arizona President Robert Robbins wrote in an email to the community ahead of the board meeting.
Institutions everywhere are struggling with excessive budget deficits, and with little help in state funding, the decision for more drastic cuts peers on the horizon.
The merger is the second announced in two years, which the president believes is "part of a strategic repositioning of the entire WVU System for success in a challenging collegiate landscape."
