UNI officials, faculty still in talks over academic cuts

Planned cuts to academic programs at the University of Northern Iowa likely won't be announced until next week so officials can continue talks with faculty groups about the proposals.

University officials said in a campus email Tuesday that more meetings will be held early next week with the UNI Faculty Senate and the United Faculty union. Officials had previously planned to announce academic cuts this week.

“It is important to remember that no final decisions regarding academic program changes have been made or will be made until all consultations are complete,” UNI officials said in the email.

Last week, President Ben Allen announced several other planned budget cuts, including closing the Malcolm Price Lab School, closing the UNI Museum building, reducing general fund money to the athletics department and outsourcing printing services. The state Board of Regents on Monday approved Allen's recommendation to close Price Lab School June 30.

Allen has said academic cuts will likely center on the smallest programs that have produced few graduates in recent years.

UNI officials have spent months looking at ways to cut the budget in response to several years of state funding reductions. UNI's enrollment is 92 percent Iowa residents, making it harder for the university to make up funding losses through out-of-state tuition dollars.