The University of Alaska Anchorage is paring more than 200 positions -- resulting in 17 layoffs -- in an effort to close a $13 million budget shortfall caused by a drop in state revenue.
The cuts will have "serious effects on and off campus," but the core needs of students and employees will continue to be met, the university said in a statement Wednesday as it unveiled its budget plan for the current fiscal year.
The plan will affect 203 positions. But layoffs -- the 17 cuts were made in June -- were limited through not filling vacant positions, retirements, job consolidation and furloughs for top administration, the statement said.
"Outdated and marginal programs" are being altered or eliminated following a two-year effort to prioritize programs, such as a master's degree program in computer science that had no enrolled students and will be phased out.
"In the case of students who are studying toward a degree that is being phased out, advisors will work with students to ensure they still graduate with their desired degree," the statement said.
Other savings will come by centralizing information technology, human resources and procurement.
Of the planned spending reduction, $12 million will come from the Anchorage campus, with support services accounting for two-thirds of that and academic functions accounting for the remaining one-third.
"Those services include administration, athletics, admissions, financial services and facility maintenance. Despite employees' best efforts, as they take on additional duties, students will be affected by lengthened staff response times," the statement said.
The remaining $1 million in savings will come from community campuses in Kodiak, Kenai, Mat-Su and Prince William Sound.
The state has faced a significant drop in income brought on in part by falling oil prices.
The university's economic experts believe this is the first year of a "two- to three-year downcycle" in revenue for the university, said Sarah Henning, a spokeswoman with the university. Meetings to plan for the next fiscal year that starts in July 2016 have already begun, she said.
The university plans to offer 200 areas of study this fall, including a new Doctorate of Nursing Practice. It's the first doctorate offered exclusively through UAA, the statement said.