THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 25, 1994 TAG: 9411250067
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
The Radford University Board of Visitors has approved a revised, state-ordered restructuring plan designed to save $2.79 million by 2003.
The State Council of Higher Education rejected Radford's original plan, along with those of five other state colleges and universities. The six schools face possible budget cuts of up to six percent if they do not submit acceptable plans. The state council's move threatened up to $1.6 million in state funding for Radford.
The state council could vote on Radford's plan at its Dec. 13 meeting.
The plan approved Wednesday by the board would save $2.79 million by 2003, even as the school expands to 11,578 from this year's student body of just under 9,000. Radford's annual per-student expenditure would drop by $707 in the same period.
Next year alone, the school plans to save $158,200 by eliminating funding for two research centers: ecological physics, and brain research and informational sciences.
Undergraduate programs in statistics and liberal studies and graduate programs in leisure studies, reading and science education also will be cut, although the 34 students enrolled in the five programs will be allowed to complete their degrees, school administrators said.
Also, four departments will merge into two: dance and theater will become one, as will the physical science and chemistry departments.
The board will vote on those changes in February, and they probably will be effective immediately, said Warren Self, associate vice president for academic enrichment.
The board also voted Wednesday to go ahead with $400,000 in raises, which had been put on hold Nov. 11 after the state council rejected Radford's plan.
Board member Jim Stutz said the raises had been withheld to make clear that the university should ``defer action on everything else to focus'' on restructuring.
The raises now will take effect Thursday.
The five other colleges facing possible budget cuts because their plans did not pass muster are Christopher Newport University, Longwood College, Mary Washington College, Norfolk State University and Virginia State University.
KEYWORDS: BUDGET CUTS COLLEGE UNIVERSITY PROPOSED by CNB