Nearly 40 ASU employees have lost their jobs as budget cuts have made layoffs and higher paying job offers from other universities a reality.
Milton Glick, ASU executive vice president and provost, said ASU has already lost over $20 million in budget cuts over a two-year period.
"Between 30 and 40 staff were non-renewed or released," Glick said. "The majority of these were not directly related to budget but were due to on-going efforts to evaluate performance or to increase efficiency."
Glick said usually about 45 faculty members leave each year, and this year the number has increased significantly to 75. He said many of those now-empty positions will not be replaced due to budget cuts.
"We are trying to protect academic programs," Glick said.
Glick could not say exactly which academic departments will be effected the most.
"Support and administration programs will be cut and integrated," Glick said. "We are doing some consolidation and reorganization; we will protect the highest-grade programs first."
"The top priority on our list is to make sure students get classes they have to have," he said. "Classes may be bigger and students may not be able to get the classes they want."
Glick said his goal is to make sure students can graduate on time. He estimates classes will increase by a few students per class.
"We are going to do things in ways students are minimally affected," Glick said. "We are not going to upgrade classrooms, and upgrading computer labs may be deferred, which does affect students."
Michael Barton, an archeology professor, said he does not have any plans to leave at the moment.
"The salary situation is terrible here," Barton said.
Barton said all purchases for research tools and fieldwork materials were cut from the archeology department.
"We have no money for anything," he said.
Robert Balling, a geography professor, said ASU needs to identify funding that comes from outside of the state government.
"I think ASU has got to face reality, and in tough economic times, they need to face budget cuts," Balling said.
Balling, who also runs a research lab at ASU, said he does not feel underpaid. Balling said he writes grant proposals and has other means to augment his salary.
"I have had offers from other universities to leave, but I love it here," he said.
Joshua Wu, a management graduate student, said the budget cut situation is very complicated.
"I think it is not fair to judge the Legislature - I think they have to make the budget cuts."
But Chelsea Yazzie, a business freshman, said she was worried about the situation.
"It is sad to see that the University is going downward," Yazzie said.
The Arizona Prevention Resource center on campus has also taken a huge hit as a result of the state budget cuts.
Gail Chadwick, director of the Arizona Prevention Resource Center, said their staff will be reduced as a result of the state ending a contract for their tobacco education program.
"It is very unfortunate, things are tough all over," Chadwick said. "The hardest part is that we were not anticipating it - now at the last minute we have to react quickly."
UA Provost George Davis said more than 380 UA employees have lost their jobs since the spring because of budget cuts.
Davis said more layoffs could be expected throughout the school year, along with other cuts that may negatively affect students.
"We will see class sizes increase, fewer classes offered and fewer seats available," Davis said. "We are really pushing hard to put a real emphasis to keep classes that students really need in order to graduate."
Reach the reporter at erin.hawksworth@asu.edu.
