The state's financial troubles may hit Arizonans where they're most vulnerable: in a hospital bed.
Arizona State University announced plans Wednesday to cut enrollment at its College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation satellite campuses by 80 students
over the next two semesters. The cuts will not affect students now enrolled.
Although the University of Arizona also fears a midyear budget cut as the state grapples with up to a $1 billion revenue shortfall, a UA College of Nursing official said there is no plan to cut enrollment.
"We did not want to touch faculty or the enrollment because our primary mission in terms of service to the community is to prepare more nurses," said Judith Brown, UA director of development and community affairs for the nursing college.
Five years ago, the state mandated that Arizona's higher education institutions double the number of nursing graduates. That goal has been met, said Virgil Renzulli, ASU's vice president of public affairs, when discussing the nursing cuts.
"We have an enormous nursing school and. . . we are generally underfunded by the state," Renzulli said. "We shouldn't be criticized or penalized for having to take what we hope is a temporary action."
ASU has about 1,800 students in its nursing program, with 80 students each at the Polytechnic campus and the West campus.
In contrast, UA has 534 nursing students enrolled, double the number enrolled in 2003.
Renzulli said nursing enrollment will be cut from 80 to 40 students at Polytechnic in spring and by the same amount at the West campus next fall.
Enrollment at the main downtown campus nursing program will remain the same.
UA Nursing Interim Dean Carolyn L. Murdaugh prepared a proposal in mid-October outlining money-saving options for the UA college as part of a university-wide reorganization called for by UA President Robert N. Shelton.
She estimated $483,400 in savings by consolidating two associate dean positions, running administrative positions at half-time during summer months and eliminating 3.5 staff positions.
"We are fully committed to maintaining our enrollment," Brown said. "We take our service to the state very seriously. The state needs more nurses."
She said if Shelton said the school had to reduce or cap nursing enrollment, "We will do what we're told."
Shelton has said he expects UA to be asked to take a midyear budget cut as Arizona deals with declining state revenues and the nation faces a recession. He has not said how much he thinks the cut might be, but UA already had a nearly $20 million cut to this year's budget.
In anticipation of further cuts, UA earlier this month adopted a hiring freeze and informed deans that expenditures of $50,000 or more from state-funded lines of spending need the top administrators' OK.
State universities rely on state funding for about one quarter of their budgets.
In addition, Shelton has warned of layoffs and a tuition increase for the 38,000-plus student body. However, he has emphasized that UA will protect "mission critical" activities and he has listed meeting the state's health care needs as one of those activities.
Renzulli said the decision to cut ASU enrollment came directly from its nursing school - not as a mandate from ASU President Michael Crow.
"Each school was given a 5 percent budget cut to prepare for a possible state cut," he said. "It was up to each college to come up with its own plan to deal with the 5 percent and nursing felt it couldn't deliver a quality education at the satellite programs with the number of students they have."
Last year, the state had 681 registered nurses per 100,000 people, below the national average of 825 registered nurses per 100,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.source
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