ASU wants to ax programs, move up deadline

ASU announced Tuesday plans to dramatically shorten its application deadline for new students, cut off funds for a popular scholarship and consolidate and close dozens of graduate programs to meet the state funding cuts lawmakers handed down last month.

The state's three public universities must cut $142 million from their budgets for this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

For Arizona State University, that means more than $60 million in cuts, on top of $28 million in funding lost last summer.

Many of the particular changes that ASU proposed Tuesday are similar to its other cost-saving moves - merging academic programs to save on administrative expenses.

However, others mark a radical shift from the university's past efforts to protect students against the funding losses. ASU President Michael Crow said the university is no longer able shield students.

"We have resources being taken away from us without the ability to curtail production," Crow said.

In perhaps the most significant change, ASU intends to make March1 its application deadline for all new students, leaving potential students less than three weeks to apply. That move would likely curb the overall number of applications, resulting in fewer students admitted next school year.

The university hasn't set how many students it would like to admit. ASU's enrollment - 67,000 students across all its campuses - has grown exponentially in recent years, admitting more than 90percent of applicants.

"Most universities have a class with X number of seats and that's what they do, they fill those seats and that's it," said Virgil Renzuli, an ASU spokesman. "We have not operated that way and we think it's important that we not operate that way."

Also, ASU proposes to halt funding for the AIMS High Honors Tuition Scholarships, which now go to about 1,500 students at the university. That cut would save the university roughly $2 million next school year, Renzuli said.

The proposals require approval from the Arizona Board of Regents.

Ernest Calderón, the board's vice president, said he is wary of parts of ASU's budget-cutting plan.

"These are only Michael Crow's proposals and I think we need to take a look at whether or not we can avoid decapitating enrollment and avoid hurting students in any way," he said.

Tom Horne, Arizona's superintendent of public instruction, was taken aback by the news about AIMS scholarships.

"I'll have to call them to dissuade that," he said Tuesday.

"These scholarships have motivated students to exceed and not settle for proficiency. That has made them better prepared for college and the universities have benefited from that and the state has benefited from it."

The first year the scholarships were available to all Arizona universities was 2006, when 2,498 students qualified. Of those students, 877 went to ASU. The scholarship program replaced the previous Regents Scholarship program.

This scholarship, more than $5,000 a year, is guaranteed to students for the first year and is renewable for an additional three years pending university requirements.

The general guidelines require a student to receive an "exceeds" standards score for writing, math and reading on Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards, in addition to meeting grade point average and course completion requirements to qualify.

ASU's other proposed cuts include the elimination of two units at its Polytechnic campus in east Mesa, including the School of Applied Arts and Sciences and the fire service management. Several others are being consolidated with larger units.

The entire College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation would be moved to ASU's downtown Phoenix campus, removing branches at the Polytechnic campus and the West campus in Glendale.