From Staff Reports

The projected $8 million budget deficit at the UNC Asheville has been reduced to $2.7 million through job cuts, early faculty retirements and administrative cost-cutting, along with a projected increase in revenue from higher student enrollment, the Asheville Watchdog reported on July 24, citing UNCA’s new vice chancellor for budget and finance. 

“The vice chancellor, Paul Forte, said UNCA chancellor Kimberly van Noort’s proposal to cut four academic departments and curtail another one was not factored into this deficit reduction for the current 2025 fiscal year that began in July, but would have an impact on fiscal year 2026 at the earliest,” the Watchdog noted.

In addition, the UNC System Board of Governors Committee on Educational Planning, Policies and Programs voted unanimously in Raleigh on July 24 to approve van Noort’s proposal to discontinue UNCA’s drama, philosophy, religion, and ancient Mediterranean studies (classics) programs—  and to curtail languages and literature programs.

The Daily Planet contacted Michael Strysick, UNCA’s chief university communication and marketing officer, regarding the Watchdog report of a reduction to $2.7 million of the school’s deficit, seeking specifics on where cuts were made and how much saving was realized in each category.

On July 25, Strysick emailed the Daily Planet the following response:

“UNC Asheville successfully closed a $6 million deficit for the 2024 fiscal year that just ended June 30. 

“We initially projected an $8 million deficit for fiscal year 2025, which started July 1, but have been able to reduce that so far to $2.7 million through a number of factors. 

“These include a combination of the Reductions in Force (or RIFs) in FY24, the Faculty Realignment Incentive Program (or FRIP), reductions in non-permanent positions, reductions in non-personnel budgets, consolidation of senior administrator positions, and a projected increase in tuition revenue due to increased enrollment in FY25.

“Chancellor Kimberly van Noort made difficult decisions that she believes are in the best interest of the long term viability and sustainability of the university. 

“She has offered weekly messages ever since the deficit was announced on February 6 that detail her thinking. These are available on our Asheville 2030 webpage.

“Program curtailment will have no impact in the current fiscal year, in part because we will have a teach-out process so each of the 61 impacted students who have declared majors in the impacted areas can complete their degree. Again, the recent Chancellor’s Updates discuss this process.”

The Watchdog story noted that “Van Noort announced in February that under state law the university had until the end of June to eliminate what was then described as a $6 million budget deficit for the 2024 fiscal year, and that was projected to grow to an $8 million deficit in the 2025 fiscal year that began July 1.” 

In her proposal, van Noort wrote: “By carefully identifying a number of consistently under enrolled academic programs to be phased out, the university will ease its budget deficit and free resources for necessary reinvestment in higher-demand programs.”

The Watchdog added, “Van Noort did not clarify or quantify the savings that cutting these programs would bring the university, if approved. Nor did university officials immediately respond to Watchdog requests to explain why the administration expects enrollment, and thus tuition revenue, to increase substantially at UNCA after more than a decade of decline, especially as the university cuts academic programs and faculty.”