Budget cuts force WNC to reduce nursing programs, eliminate others

Western Nevada College President Carol Lucey says further budget cuts will damage some of their programs but that WNC will survive.

"We were ready for it," she said. "I've got a team at the college that's like no other. They just dug in and decided, no matter what happens, they're going to make it work for the students and the college."

She said she is most concerned about reductions in the nursing and surgical technician programs.

An overall general fund reduction of 6.9 percent mandated during last week's special session will force a cut of eight nursing student openings each in Carson City and Fallon. The Carson City campus will be able to admit 40 nursing students each year.

Fallon, which admits just eight students each year, will drop to admitting eight every other year. Registered nursing is a two-year program.

"We're just going to admit one group of freshmen and get them through the program, then admit another group two years later," she said.

The surgical technician program is the other problem.

"I've been trying to hire an instructor," she said. "This year, like last year, I'm going to have to use federal money to do it. That means looking in the temporary market for someone willing to take a job year to year, and it's really hard to do that."

She said nursing can't escape cuts: "The whole college has had to take cuts, and nursing is our most expensive program so we could not (avoid) cuts there."

This latest reduction comes on top of the 12.8 percent cut imposed by the 2009 Legislature.

Anne Hansen, WNC marketing director, said budget cuts come even as the economy is driving more people back to school to improve their job skills. She said student enrollment is up 6 percent this year, and the number of full-time students seeking a degree is up 33 percent.

Nearly 5,700 students attend WNC at its Carson City, Douglas County and Fallon campuses.

Hansen said some programs will be discontinued, including health information technology and the legal assistant program.

"We will continue to leave a number of full-time faculty appointments vacant or fill them with temporary appointments," she said. "We will continue to have to rely more heavily on part time instructors."

She said the Douglas campus has already been downsized by leaving the director's position vacant. The Carson-based dean of student services is handling the director's duties.

"Certainly we still continue to offer classes there and we will continue to offer classes there," Hansen said.

She said students are also adapting to the reduced number of class sections available. She said more students are adopting interactive video classes in part because they are trying not to drive as much every day.

"People are trying to complete their degrees in the most efficient and expeditious ways they can," she said.

Lucey said that in the long run, WNC will be there for students who need it.

"We're going to come through this and we're going to be fine."