North Dakota College’s Continue to Battle Budget Cuts

University and colleges across North Dakota are battling budget cuts.

UND has announced that it will be cutting positions, and now Mayville State University is looking to cut one of its programs.

The North Dakota higher education system is dealing with a four percent budget cut mandated by the governor, which officials at UND and Mayville State University say has left them no choice but to make more cuts.

UND has stated that it will be cutting 138 positions.

Peter Johnson of UND public relations says out of the 138, only 20 are faculty members that will be laid off.
 
“Some cases we’re talking about positions that are being eliminated not individuals so were talking about vacant positions that we’ve had all year long that have been vacant various reasons. Those positions are no longer going to be on the books,” said Peter Johnson of University Public Relations.
 
Students at UND say the cuts are only going to put more of a strain on current faculty, and make classes that much more difficult to come by.
 
“Puts a lot more pressure on them to teach that many students in classes as one professor, and it just puts pressure on students because then the classes fill up and then you can’t take that class,” said Kaycee Gerving.
 
UND isn’t the only university that will make some changes. Mayville State University has also announced that it will be cutting one of its programs.
 
The University has announced that after this May, it will be what they have called “temporarily discontinuing” the computer information systems program.
 
“We have been looking at the program for quite a few years, and the enrollment just hasn’t been there so that’s why we decided to eliminate it at this time,” said Steven Bensen VP of Business Administration at Mayville University.
 
Benson says the program cut includes its two faculty members, as well as university buyouts.
 
“What we’re going to do initially on the three buy outs that were expected, early retirements is we probably will not hire full time people to replace them at this time,” said Benson.

Benson says current juniors and seniors enrolled in the program will be able to finish out their degree.