There will be more than 100 cuts to staff and faculty positions at Northern Kentucky University, and more than 500 similar positions removed from the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS), which includes Gateway Community & Technical College. Gateway has campuses in Covington, Edgewood, and Boone County.

The cuts are related to recent budget cuts at the state level ordered by Governor Matt Bevin, whom a judge supported Wednesday in a legal challenge to the decision. "We are grateful for the court's prompt decision confirming our ability to manage the Commonwealth's finances in a fiscally responsible manner," said Bevin in a statement. The governor has ordered cuts to many programs, including higher education, as resources are allocated to shore up the state's ailing pension obligations. "We appreciate that the court ruled as we anticipated, acknowledging that Attorney General (Andy) Beshear's position was 'both an irresponsible one and an unsustainable one for a government to take.' While others focus on politically motivated attacks, we continue to focus on strengthening Kentucky's fiscal foundation."

"We are very mindful of the impact that our decisions have on our faculty and staff – both professionally and personally," said NKU President Geoffrey Mearns, in an email to the campus community. "We are also committed to making fiscally responsible decisions that promote student success and position the institution for a vibrant future.

"The financial challenges we face are not new. In fact, each year since 2008, due to increases in pension costs and reductions in state support, we have been forced to reduce our investment in academic programs, student support services, and salaries and benefits for faculty and staff."

NKU spokesperson Amanda Nageleisen told The River City News Wednesday that 68 staff positions and 37 faculty positions would be eliminated, making up roughly 6.5 percent of the school's full-time workforce. Many of those positions are currently vacant, Nageleisen said. 36 of the affected staff positions are filled, while just six of the faculty positions are currently filled.

The cuts are in response to the school's need to reduce its operation budget by $8 million in the new fiscal year that begins July 1. The decline in state funding and increases in state-mandated pension contributions (which increase by $4 million next year) were cited as reasons for the move, adopted by the Board of Regents on Wednesday.

Mearns said that the university's new budget maintains student affordability, aguing that NKU tuition remains lower than many other public universities in Kentucky. The net average cost of tuition for undergraduate students over the last two years has been reduced, he said. Next year there will be roughly $21 million in student aid, a nearly $2 million increase year over year.

Meanwhile, cuts are also coming at the community college level.

In April, it was reported that Gateway would be removing 10 full-time positions and some programs. It was reported on Wednesday that 505 positions would be cut system-wide, including 191 faculty and 315 staff, WKYT reported.

"These are the toughest times I’ve seen during my six years on this Board of Regents," said outgoing NKU board chair Nathan Smith. "Each year since 2008, we’ve had to reduce our investment in academic programs, student support services, and salaries and benefits for faculty and staff. This year, we have to cut another $8 million.

"But the budget presented today helps us manage those challenges in a way that keeps the focus on our students, and it also positions us for the future. I’d like to thank President Mearns and his team for their leadership, and I know I speak for this entire board when I say that the future of our university is in good hands."

-Michael Monks, eduitor & publisher

Photo: NKU (RCN file)