Iowa State will consider cutting faculty, staff and departments as the university faces another 6 to 8 percent budget cut for Fiscal Year 2003, which begins July 1.

The ISU Task Force on Strategic Effectiveness and Budget Priorities is working to prepare the university for what administrators say are inevitable cuts.

The task force, which was established by President Gregory Geoffroy in August, is a 25-member body with representatives from all areas of the university. The task force’s mission is to evaluate the effectiveness of the university and to make sure budget priorities are in line with the university’s mission and strategic plan.

“We are looking at a variety of cost-cutting measures,” said Teresa Branch, assistant vice president for student affairs and the student affairs representative to the task force. “The vice presidents have been asked to look at making an approximate cut of 6 percent for [Fiscal Year 2003]. It might not be that large, but we are looking at that possibility.”

The coming cuts are a reflection of Gov. Tom Vilsack’s desire to make sure Iowa is running as efficiently as possible, said task force member Bonnie Glatz.

“The problem will be there is an awful lot of money that has to be cut,” said Glatz, university professor of food science and human nutrition.

The key question is whether certain programs or services are eliminated entirely or if every aspect of the university sees cuts, she said.

Branch said she and fellow task force members are fully aware of the magnitude of their assignment and are up to the challenge.

“There is a tendency to think everything is essential,” she said. “It really takes a lot of vision and courage to make these decisions.”

Budget planning is a never-ending process, Glatz said, but administrators are not used to planning for budget cuts.

“Normally, we would not be planning for a cut,” she said.

” Normally, you stay about the same, increasing for inflation. Planning for cuts is not something you’d like to do on a regular basis.”

All over campus, people are trying to plan for future budget crunches.

“Across the university, areas are preparing scenarios,” Branch said.

“When you have a cut succeeded by a cut like this year’s, you have to start looking at cutting people.”

The vice presidents will present their reports to the task force Feb. 1 and meetings with Geoffroy will follow throughout February, Branch said. The task force will make recommendations to the president based on the proposals.

“We are not looking for across-the-board cuts,” Branch said.

“We are asking units to identify more quality programs and cut weaker, more mediocre areas. We don’t want to reduce everything to a mediocre level. It would almost be better to eliminate or drastically reduce the weaker areas.”

Students have two representatives on the task force. Andy Tofilon, Government of the Student Body president, represents undergraduate students, and Debbie Martinez, president of the Graduate Student Senate, represents graduate students.

For more information on the Task Force for Strategic Effectiveness and Budget Priorities, go to www.iastate.edu/budget.