FAQ:

1. What is the extent of the current budget cuts?
2. Will we experience any more budget cuts?
3. What strategies are we employing to manage these cuts?
4. Are there other options we may explore in the future?
5. Are layoffs possible?
6. How will students be impacted?
7. How will this affect our mission?
8. Will budget cuts impact tenure?
9. What options for raising funds are we exploring?
10. What can I do now and in the future?

1. What is the extent of the current budget cuts?
   In December 2007, CSN cut 4.5 percent of its budget and in June 2008, the College cut another 3.42 percent from the $132 million annual general fund budget the Legislature appropriated to CSN in 2008-09. In total, CSN has had to cut $10.4 million from its 2007-09 biennial budget as a result of the state budget deficit.
   
   
   
2. Will we experience any more budget cuts?
   In 2008, the governor asked each state agency to prepare for 14 percent cuts. In his Jan. 15, 2009 State of the State Address, he recommended cutting the Nevada System of Higher Education's general fund appropriation by 38.64 percent during the next biennium, on top of the cuts the NSHE already made to its eight colleges, research institution and universities’ base budgets in 2008. The cut means a 36.47 percent reduction to CSN’s general fund appropriation.
   
   We are looking past the governor’s proposed budget to the Nevada Legislature to come up with a viable solution. We are counting on you to communicate how you feel about the importance of higher education to Southern Nevada to your legislative representative.
   
   
3. What strategies are we employing to manage these cuts?
   No one knows what the Legislature will finally enact as the 2009-11 biennial budget. As such, we are looking to incorporate efficiencies and flexibility into our operations.
   
   CSN will not produce printed copies of the fall course catalog and instead will ONLY provide the catalog online. This will save the institution more than $100,000 in printing costs and will also incorporate flexibility as CSN is currently unsure what courses it will be able to offer next fall. This will result in students seeing a number of “blocked” classes this spring when they try to register for the fall semester. Those classes will become unblocked and open for enrollment as funding allows. Students will be reminded to return to the schedule to register for the blocked classes at a date-to-be-determined.
   
   The College has made numerous efficiencies to do its utmost to ensure classroom resources remain the least affected. This fiscal year, the College generated $2.7 million in cost savings. In addition, during the fiscal years FY2006-09, savings in excess of $2.7 million were identified. These savings have occurred through consolidation of administrative responsibilities, discontinuation of leased facilities, streamlining departmental structures, improvements to facility infrastructure, renegotiated contracts for services, etc.
   
   To prepare for significant budget reductions for the next biennium, 2009-11, CSN announced last year that it plans to close the following learning centers on June 30, 2009:
   • Boulder City
   • A.D. Guy
   • Downtown (Latin Chamber)
   • Moapa
   • Lincoln County
   • West Sahara
   
   A soft hiring freeze remains in effect for the College.
   
   
4. Are there other options we may explore in the future?
   We continue to analyze dozens of alternatives as we monitor statewide budget discussions and decisions.
   
   As always we are open to your suggestions. Please use the feedback link on this Web site to send us your ideas.
   
   
5. Are layoffs possible?
   Pursuant to personnel policies at NSHE, and the state personnel system, a few, selected notices of non-reappointment and layoffs have been issued to non-teaching personnel to date due to budget reductions. We are working individually with these employees and assisting where we can with their transition.
   
   Additional layoffs are possible, depending on the extent of the budget cuts enacted by lawmakers this session.
   
   
6. How will students be impacted?
   Drastic cuts change CSN fundamentally and, perhaps, irrevocably. We are all working to minimize the impact of the cuts while we protect the College’s core academic mission to provide quality instruction and services to students. Yet, decisions must be made even now to preserve that mission.
   
   By our estimate, and without other interventions, a 14 percent budget reduction will reduce CSN’s FTE by nearly 2,100 students or 4,200 headcount. The expenditure reduction for the cuts alone is estimated at $3.6 million for next biennium. Hence, the impact on student access is significant as the cuts begin.
   
   The governor’s recommended budget for CSN for 2009-11 provides a dramatic 37% reduction of state (general fund) support.  The general fund budget as proposed would be reduced to $64.8 million in 2009-2010 and $65.3million in 2010-11. Therefore, the total budget for each year of the biennium, including the general fund and campus-generated revenues would be $99.9 million in 2009-10 and $104.2 million in 2010-11. 
   
   In addition to the significant impact of the reduced general fund or state support, the executive budget proposal is based on projections of an increase in the targeted full-time equivalent enrollment for each year of the 2009-11 biennium.   The target or projected enrollment is a driving factor for determining the amount of funds that the campus is required to generate in support of the operating budget.  The proposed executive budget anticipates registration increases and includes projected full-time equivalent enrollments of 22,210 students in 2009-2010 and 23,582 students in 2010-2011.  This represents an increase in budgeted enrollment of 18.4% and 25.7% for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, respectively, over the current budgeted enrollment target of 18,760.  Simply put, the governor’s budget decreases our state support by 37 % while expecting us to serve thousands of additional students.
   
   As you can see, the 2008-09 originally approved budget would have provided $7,062 per FTE. But the proposed budget for each year of the upcoming biennium reduces the funding per FTE to $4,499 and $4,422.  The support CSN receives from the state for each full-time equivalent student declines significantly in the upcoming funding years by as much as (49%).
   
   
7. How will this affect our mission?
   We are all working to minimize the impact of the cuts while we protect the College’s core academic mission to provide quality instruction and services to students. Yet, decisions must be made even now to preserve that mission. This reduction in CSN’s workforce, operating budgets and student access will profoundly affect our college, our operations, organizational structures, and programs. Please know that we are being deliberative in these efforts in order to minimize impacts to the College.
   
   
8. Will budget cuts impact tenure?
   It is not expected that current tenure-track, teaching faculty will be impacted by these cuts; but the hiring freeze will suspend the addition of new tenure-track, teaching faculty until the budget crisis is over. Tenured teaching faculty will continue in their positions as per their contracts.
   
   
9. What options for raising funds are we exploring?
   The CSN Foundation is working hard to raise funds from non-state sources as are individual faculty and the administration.
   
   
10. What can I do now and in the future?
    Faculty can maintain the high standards CSN has always prided itself on and can maintain the sense of family that sustains not only our work environment, but also our interpersonal relationships.
    
    State leaders are eager to hear from faculty and students and are open to their input; as such faculty are encouraged to write their legislators and the governor to express their views as constituents.
    
    Faculty Senate will be working to help maintain open communication channels within the college and to provide feedback on budget cutting strategies.
    
    If students are seeking guidance for political involvement, please direct them to the student government offices.