Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a two-part series about how each of the seven ISU academic colleges is preparing for budget cuts in the 2002-2003 academic year. Tomorrow will focus on the Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Education and Design colleges.

With more funding shortfalls and budget crunches on the horizon, ISU students will have to deal with larger classes, fewer elective options and fewer seats for nonmajors next year, officials said.

The midyear $11.4 million deappropriation will be absorbed next semester by a series of one-time cuts, said Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance.

Each of Iowa State’s eight undergraduate colleges is now busy analyzing every possible angle to save money in creating its budget for the 2002-2003 academic year.

Carol Meeks, dean of family and consumer sciences, said her college is working very diligently and considering all options.

“We will have larger class sizes and will likely need to restrict the number of seats for nonmajors,” Meeks said.

Currently, 45 percent of the students enrolled in classes offered by the college are nonmajor students, she said.

Other options will be the elimination of staff positions, cuts in operating costs and possibly the elimination of summer school course offerings, Meeks said.

Richard Ross, interim dean of agriculture, said he is not sure how the college will absorb future budget cuts.

“It is great that we don’t have a mid-year reversion,” he said. “We are developing proposals now [for the 2002-2003 academic year], but the exact ways we will handle it have not been determined.”

Norman Cheville, dean of veterinary medicine, said a formal meeting of the college’s Budget and Space Committee will take place next week.

“We will look at administrative costs first,” he said. “We want to protect the academic program and benefits to students as much as we can.”

Labh Hira, interim dean of business, said he has a very limited sense of relief.

“All units have been spared as far as midyear de-appropriation is concerned,” he said. “However . these are permanent cuts to the budget and do affect next year.”

Within the College of Business, all options are on the table, Hira said. As with other colleges, no decisions are final, and aren’t expected to be made until late December.

There likely will be cuts in the number of temporary instructors, graduate assistants, summer school course offerings and supplies and services, Hira said.

“We went through this last year and lost three faculty positions,” he said.

The college remains under a hiring freeze, and other impacts are inevitable, Hira said.

“It’s going to have an impact on classes and class size,” he said. “Choices will be limited.”