Western Nevada College community programs could be eliminated

Facing potential 30 percent budget cuts, Western Nevada College will likely see big changes in the way it operates over the coming years, according to president Carol Lucey.

Lucey, who has been at the helm of the college for 12 years, broke down what amounts to a severely crippled budget over the next biennium. With $18 million in current support from the state general fund, Lucey is now staring down a double blast of proposed reductions.

The first blast would be a $3.5 million reduction next year. A second $2.3 million blast would hit fiscal year 2012-13. Both hits are on top of cuts already made in the last three years.

"That's $18 million down to $12 million, or 31.7 percent," Lucey said.

She said student revenues account for another $3-4 million of total revenues for the college. Gov. Brian Sandoval's proposed budget includes tuition hikes to compensate for loss of general fund support.

"The problem is I don't think that can be compensated with student fee increases," Lucey said. "There will be students who can't afford us anymore, or won't come because their campuses have been decimated."

Students are looking at a 13 percent hike in tuition each year of the biennium, Lucey said.

"That's a 26 percent increase in the biennium," she said.

In the current spring semester, a Nevada resident pays $69.25 per lower division credit and $113.25 per upper division credit.

"When you raise fees, you see a drop-off in students," Lucey said. "It's the same thing in business. If you raise prices, you lose customers."

Complicating budget matters further are certain noticing rights for full-time professional instructors.

"Most need one year of notice before layoffs," Lucey said. "There are some things we simply can't do before July 1. Eighty percent of our budget is personnel."

Members of the community also will feel the pinch as quality-of-life programs may be dropped as well.

"It means shutting down musical theater and the Wildcat programs unless we can find someone willing to pay for those," she said. "It means the operating budget of the observatory and fine arts gallery. If courses help students complete a degree, it gets general fund dollars. If it doesn't, we can't use state dollars anymore for instruction. Those quality of life classes are going to be far more expensive. Instructors' salaries are going to have to be completely carried by student tuition."

Although closing and consolidating college campuses had been taken off the table by the Nevada board of regents, it is back before legislators to review, as requested by State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas.

To balance next year's budget, the college is also planning to close rural centers in Fernley, Hawthorne, Lovelock, Smith Valley and Yerington. In fiscal year 2012-13, the plan is to close the Minden campus and to greatly reduce services at the Fallon campus.

"Staff has taken every last dollar they can out of operating budgets," Lucey said. "We have to do zero-based budgeting: Assume you have zero to start with and now put back in it what you have to have."

In total, shutting down rural locations would save the college about $1 million a year. Shutting down the Minden branch alone would save approximately $250,000 a year.

"The $3.5 million cut this year includes everything but the Douglas and Fallon campuses," Lucey said. "We've moved those two decisions to the second year, which gives us time to come up with a plan to keep the Douglas and Fallon campuses serving their communities appropriately."

In addition to finding alternative funding for the rural campuses, the college is also looking at ways to save art and sports programs. She said program leaders are looking to the community for additional funding as well as grants and other sources.

"We're allowing time to see if those programs can become self-supporting," said WNC spokeswoman Anne Hansen. "We all believe strongly that part of our mission as a community college is to offer a broader perspective of life. We think that's what builds a richer community."

Anyone doubting the positive impact of Western Nevada College over the last decade need only look at some regional trends, Lucey challenged.

"In the last 10 years, we've doubled the high school-to-college going rate," she said.

That means the number of students attending WNC straight out of high school. In the Douglas area, that rate has jumped from 12-15 percent to 25-30 percent, Lucey said.

"We've doubled full-time degree seekers, so that there is an increase in people getting college degrees. We've increased our graduation numbers by 35 percent," she said. "That requires outreach to every county in our service area. That's why we're in business. That's why our focus is to keep the campus open."

• Nevada Appeal reporter Teri Vance contributed to this report.