TO CLIPS INDEX February 12, 2009

Arizona State Cuts 40 Programs, May Close
Two Campuses
U.S. News & World Report 2/11/09 5:44 PM ET
Arizona State president Michael Crow outlined even
more drastic measures the university will undertake
—which include cutting academic programs and
capping enrollment— to respond to $88 million in
the most recent state budget cuts, the State Press
reports. Two satellite campuses could be closed
entirely. Arizona State is already eliminating 550
positions through attrition and layoffs and forcing
its employees take unpaid leave for up to 15 days.

State leaders expect stimulus-fund scrum
The Arizona Republic 2/12/09
The scaled-back economic-stimulus package
the U.S. House and Senate agreed to Wednesday
will play a major role in jump-starting Arizona's
stalled economy. But it will be difficult for the state
to get its fair share of the $790 billion financial plan
without clear and consistent support from Arizona
political and business leaders, Phoenix Mayor Phil
Gordon said. Arizona's congressional delegation
is split along party lines over President Barack
Obama's spending package, with the state's two
high-ranking GOP senators voicing some of the
most fervent opposition. Meanwhile, Gov. Jan
Brewer, still putting the pieces of her new
administration in place, has had her hands full
with the state budget crisis.

E.J. Montini: Educator takes on budget-cutters
The Arizona Republic 2/12/09 1:07 AM
Gary Nine, superintendent of the Florence Unified
School District, is an intelligent, conservative
Republican educator who thought that it was
possible to have a reasoned and humane
conversation with one of the legislators who was
carving up the state's kindergarten-through-12th-
grade education budget. (Intelligence does not
preclude a person from being somewhat naive.)
"I called in to a radio program where Russell
Pearce (chairman of the Senate Appropriations
Committee) was appearing," Nine said. "I asked
if he could estimate the number of jobs his
projections would eliminate. He had no idea.
Can you imagine that? Not only that, but he
genuinely did not seem to care, a reaction I've
noted from several legislators making these
decisions. That is simply unacceptable." Nine
is not a high-powered, high-visibility education
personality. He can't draw the attention of the
media like, for instance, Arizona State University
President Michael Crow

ASU students rail against new cuts
The Arizona Republic 2/12/09
Apprehension, anxiety, anger and angst colored
the conversations of Arizona State University
students Wednesday, as they talked about cuts
in university programs announced Tuesday by
school President Michael Crow. "We came here
thinking we could live on this campus and get a
certain kind of degree, and now we have to
wonder and worry not only about the changes
they just announced, but what they may still
announce. We don't know what will happen to
us," said Candice Pascua, 19, who also lives
on the Polytechnic campus. Pascua summed
up Tuesday's news by saying it "sucks for all of
us, troubles all of us." On Tuesday, Crow said
that about 48 academic programs would be
closed and that tuition for next fall will be raised
beyond what was announced in December. In
addition, enrollment will be capped, "several-
hundred" employees likely will lose their jobs,
and the Polytechnic and West campuses could
be shut next year.

Measure will bring relief, but not a windfall, to Ariz.
The Arizona Republic 2/12/09
The compromise stimulus package is likely to leave
Arizonans grateful for the help but sharply aware of
its limits. Most people will still get tax cuts, but one
of the state's biggest industries, housing, will find
that tax breaks included in earlier versions were
scaled back. Statewide construction work mostly
on roadways could nearly double this year, which
should generate and preserve jobs. But such
projects will still leave specialized trade workers
with dim prospects. On education, the federal aid
will help but is unlikely to reverse long-term
troubles.

ASU West campus cuts a 'slap in the face'
to West Valley
The Arizona Republic 2/12/09 8:47 AM
West Valley leaders are sad, devastated and just
plain mad about drastic cuts announced this week
for Arizona State University's West campus. "I think
it's a slap in the face," said Glendale Mayor Elaine
Scruggs, reacting to news that the West campus
would be reduced to one undergraduate liberal-
arts program. "The fact that they've changed the
name is insulting." Soon, the 25-year-old campus
that was built after a grass-roots campaign
demanding higher-education options for the West
Valley will be called New College.

New ASU deadline not likely to affect students
East Valley Tribune 2/12/09 12:07PM
High school counselors say news that ASU wants
to move up its application deadline to March 1 for
the coming fall won’t likely have a huge impact on
their senior class. That’s because many students
have already turned in their paperwork. Among the
list of program cuts and department changes
proposed Tuesday by Arizona State University was
the move-up of the application deadline. The
changes are needed, ASU says, to help it address
more than $60 million in cuts made by lawmakers
this year to help balance the state budget. The
university had already cut $28 million last summer.

Rio Nuevo may lose funding July 1
Arizona Daily Star 2/12/09
PHOENIX — Funding for Tucson's Rio Nuevo
Downtown redevelopment project could be
gone by July 1. Skeptical members of the Sen-
ate Finance Committee said they didn't get the
answers they wanted from Rio Nuevo's project
director at a hearing Wednesday. Some said
not only did Rio Nuevo Director Greg Shelko
fail to outline how the city has spent $60 million
in state money, but they said the project seems
to have drifted from its original purpose. As the
state faces a $2.4 billion shortfall next year,
several committee members said they are
interested in possibly cutting off the state
dollars to avoid deeper cuts to K-12 education
and state agencies when the new fiscal year
begins July 1. An estimated $600 million in
state money would flow to Rio Nuevo over
the 22-year life of the project.

ASU adopting enrollment cap, will drop about
50 programs
The Associated Press/Arizona Daily Star
2/12/09
Arizona State University has announced an un-
specified, first-ever enrollment cap and plans
to close about four dozen academic programs
because of $88 million in state-imposed bud-
get reductions. ASU spokeswoman Sharon
Keeler said Tuesday that no specific
enrollment ceiling was announced
immediately, but closures will start at once.
Imposition of an enrollment cap is a dramatic
departure for the university, which since 2002
has actively increased its enrollment. Current
enrollment is expected to top last spring's
59,871 students on all ASU campuses.

To trim more funds, UA will cut landscaping
Arizona Daily Star 2/12/09
The green grass and fountains that make the UA
campus a virtual oasis will dry up in the coming
weeks after officials announced plans Wednes-
day to halt several landscaping programs in the
face of state budget cuts. University of Arizona
officials have turned off the institution's 13
fountains and won't be replanting flowers and
grass on the Mall this year to cut down on
maintenance costs associated with the upkeep
of the grounds on campus, according to a memo
from Joel Valdez, UA's vice president for business
affairs. The changes will last indefinitely. While
officials couldn't say how much they hoped to
save by cutting back on maintenance, the goal
is to help offset layoffs in the face of a $77 million
cut in state funding the UA took this fiscal year
and to help with even deeper cuts expected in
the next fiscal year.

Students find biotech test a 'cool' lesson
Arizona Daily Star 2/12/09
Students in Danielle Schroeder's class at Mountain
View High School got an introduction to the bio-
technology field through a simulated lesson on HIV.
Schroeder's human anatomy class took part in a
simulated-disease spread activity offered by the
Biotech Project, a program at the University of Arizona,
last Wednesday in which they learned how disease
spreads and how to test for disease. As part of the
simulation, students each were given a solution that
represented their body fluid and exchanged it with
three of their classmates by transferring their body
fluid to another student's tube. They then used the
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, or ELISA,
test to determine who was infected with HIV, the
virus that causes AIDS. The ELISA test is typically
the first screening test used to detect if a person
has HIV.

Arizona State University to close satellite social
work program here
Tucson Citizen 2/12/09
The clock is ticking for nearly 200 students enrolled
in an Arizona State University satellite program in
Tucson. Fifty-three undergraduates and 138 graduate
students in the Tucson branch of ASU's School of
Social Work have until December to finish their
degrees here. Otherwise, they will have to finish
them in Phoenix. The change is part of a massive
restructuring by ASU President Michael Crow in
response to state budget reductions of $88 million
to ASU's base state budget since last June, said
Virgil Renzulli, vice president of public affairs.

Universities see record enrollment and budget cuts
Arizona Daily Sun/Tucson Citizen 2/11/09 4:16 p.m.
Increased enrollments at Arizona's state universities
are exacerbating the task of administrators trying to
stretch budgets drastically trimmed because of the
worst recession in decades. All three universities
had record-high enrollments in the fall term.
Northern Arizona University repeated that in the
spring semester and the University of Arizona and
Arizona State University are expected to also set
records when official tallies are completed for the
spring, officials said. All three are also making major
cuts, resulting in some larger classes and layoffs.
Late last month, the Legislature approved $141.5
million in university cuts as part of a mid-year bud-
get fix designed to close a $1.6 billion state budget
shortfall.

UA to honor Olson in two ceremonies
Tucson Citizen 2/11/09 5:04 pm
Arizona will honor retired basketball coach Lute Olson
at halftime of its March 5 game against California at
McKale Center. Olson, his family, former players and
Pac-10 officials will remember the Hall of Fame coach
in person and on video. The Thursday night game time
has not been determined. UA also has scheduled a
public ceremony Aug. 8 at McKale to highlight his 25
years in Tucson. That time has not been determined,
but later that night, a special dinner will be held for
Olson and UA basketball letterman.

Could land be up for grabs at ASU West, Polytechnic?
Phoenix Business Journal 2/12/09 5:08am
Arizona State University President Michael Crow hopes
he doesn’t have to resort to closing two campuses, but
the threat of such action is prompting speculation about
what might happen to the acres of land in at ASU Poly-
technic and ASU West. Crow said what might happen to
the land and structures hasn’t been addressed. “None
of our thinking goes that far,” he said. .....Regents Vice
President Ernest Calderon, who made it clear he was
not speaking on behalf of the board, said he hopes
any closure of ASU programs or campuses would be
temporary. “The citizens of Arizona have invested so
much money into the campuses that it would not be
prudent to dispose of the buildings and property,” he
said.

Easy A's
Tucson Weekly 2/12/09
Getting a good grade at the UA isn't necessarily
a noteworthy accomplishment. Alex Gendreau, a
junior majoring in dramaturgy at the University of
Arizona, was confused when she got a B in an
acting class. She had gone to all the classes,
written all the papers and earned a high A on her
final. When Gendreau sent an e-mail to her
professor asking why she got the B, the professor
changed it to an A. "She never told me why she
changed the grade," Gendreau says. "It was weird."
With that A, Gendreau received the most prevalent
letter grade being awarded on the UA campus:
During the Spring 2008 semester, 41 percent of
all undergraduate grades at the UA were A's,
according to a database obtained and analyzed
by the Tucson Weekly through a Freedom of
Information Act request.

The Skinny: Experiment goes awry
Tucson Weekly 2/12/09
The Tucson Weekly mentioned last week that state
lawmakers, in their efforts to close a $1.6 billion bud-
get hole in the current fiscal year, had stripped $22.5
million in funding from the 21st Century Fund. (See
"The Bucks Stop Here," Feb. 5.) Instrumental in
blocking the funding--which goes to Science
Foundation Arizona, an outfit that provides matching
funds for companies that do medical and science
research--were three Southern Arizona Republicans
in the House of Representatives: Frank Antenori (R-A
Tiny Bit of Tucson But Only the Eastside and Certainly
Not the Area Where the Loony Lefty Democrats Live,
Plus Sierra Vista, Green Valley and Many Points In
Between), David Gowan (R-Same District as Antenori)
and David Stevens (R-A Huge Chunk of Southern
Arizona Stretching From Marana to Sierra Vista). The
three freshman Republicans teamed up with Sam
Crump and Carl Seel of Anthem to demand that the
21st Century Fund be drained because, they argued,
it's a form of corporate welfare. We suppose you
could see it that way--or you could see it as a form
of economic development, in that it provides
matching funds to encourage companies to do
high-tech research in Arizona, which creates
opportunities for high-tech jobs So we don't have
an entire economy based on the collapsing housing
industry.

State schools chief questions end of AIMS scholarships
KTAR 2/12/09 6:00am
PHOENIX -- State Superintendent Tom Horne is
questioning whether Arizona State University President
Michael Crow has authority to suspend AIMS scholar-
ships as part of his cost-cutting measures. The scholar-
ships are available to high school seniors who do well
on the state's AIMS test. Crow said the scholarships
would be suspended when he announced Tuesday that
the university would be cutting dozens of programs in the
face of a $90 million loss in state funding for the current
fiscal year. Horne said Wednesday that students who
already have AIMS scholarships don't have to worry.

Scientists Say Heavy Metal May Be Linked to
Leukemia Clusters
foxnews.com 2/12/09
RENO, Nev. — Scientists studying childhood leukemia
cases in Arizona and Nevada say their research shows
a possible link between tungsten and the disease.
University of Arizona researchers Mark Witten and Paul
Sheppard said a small group of laboratory mice
developed leukemia-like blood symptoms after they
were exposed to the heavy metal and then a common
respiratory virus. The two have been investigating child-
hood leukemia clusters in Sierra Vista, Ariz., and Fallon,
a rural community 60 miles east of Reno, since 2002.

Some ASU faculty choose less pay in lieu of furlough
ASU Web Devil 2/12/09
Many ASU faculty members facing mandatory days off
without pay are volunteering to take an equivalent pay
reduction while continuing to work. The University offers
volunteer pay cuts instead of furlough days because
many faculty and staff members are unable to take
time away from teaching or research. Professors are
also not allowed to cancel a class because of a furlough
day. Dennis Hoffman, director of the Seidman Research
Institute and professor of economics at the W. P. Carey
School of Business, said taking time off is difficult be-
cause professors typically work around the clock, not
just when they’re in the office. “If I were to take the
furlough and just say, ‘All right, I’m not going to do
any of my work this furlough day because I’m not
getting paid,’ it just effectively punishes me,” he said.
“The work won’t go away just because you’re having
to do a furlough day.”

ASU leading producer for Ariz. Peace Corp
ASU Web Devil 2/12/09
While many ASU graduates head off to the corporate
world to find jobs, some decide to travel overseas to
help communities grow with the Peace Corps. Kate
Kuykendall, the Peace Corps’ public-affairs specialist,
said ASU is the leading producer of volunteers in the
state, with 41 graduates currently serving. Kuykendall
said ASU has made an effort to make service and
global understanding an important part of the
curriculum. “ASU is a school that’s always very
interested in knowing how they did and what their
numbers were,” she said. “It’s important to have a
student body that’s committed to service and global
perspective.”

Tempe campus to host simulated terrorist attack
during spring break
ASU Web Devil 2/12/09
A state agency is preparing to enact a mass casualty
event on ASU’s Tempe campus — and University
administration asked for it. Coyote Crisis Campaign,
a division of Arizona’s Department of Emergency
Management, will simulate a large explosion from a
domestic terrorist attack in order to test the emergency
preparedness of ASU and the Valley hospitals. “The
University has never had a large disaster, and this is
our chance to check its emergency system,”
Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. James
Warriner said. For almost five years, the group has
staged a different emergency annually to evaluate
emergency protocols of different state groups,
usually police and fire departments. ASU and 25
hospitals will be involved for the first time next month.

Budget cuts begin to take toll on athletics department
jackcentral.com 2/12/09
As budget cuts by the Arizona Board of Regents continue
to affect NAU, the athletics program has been far from
immune. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer recently signed a bill
that cuts $141.5 million from the budgets of the Arizona
university system; $20.5 million will be cut from NAU,
which will directly affect athletics. The NAU athletics
department began implementing cuts Jan. 20 by closing
the High Altitude Training Center, and they are expecting
to make more cuts to fit the budget for the remainder of
the 2009 fiscal year. “We have made reductions,” said
NAU Athletic Director Jim Fallis. “We have not filled
positions of people that have left. We’ve gone to various
areas, and we’ve reduced operation dollars.” According
to Fallis, the various cuts have left two full-time positions
vacant in the athletics program. Other cuts include not
paying for a pep band at men’s and women’s basketball
games and making coaches limit travel expenses and
recruiting costs.

ASNAU president resigns, citing personal reasons
jackcentral.com 2/12/09
On Jan. 29, Alyssa McKinley replaced Brad Busse as
president of ASNAU after Busse resigned from the
position. Busse, a senior political science major who
had been serving as president since the beginning
of the school year, resigned due to personal reasons
and to focus more on academics. He will represent
ASNAU as one of the directors of the Arizona Students’
Association. Busse was not able to be reached for
further comment. McKinley, a junior political science
and journalism major, was the vice president of
academic affairs before the transition. She was a
member of True Blue NAU, the Liberal Studies and
the Board of Regents Academic Affairs Committees.
She is the 77th president of ASNAU and the 13th
female president. McKinley, who learned of Busse’s
resignation a couple days before it was officially
announced, said she was surprised.

Sig Ep loses UA recognition
UA Daily Wildcat Online 2/12/09
The new Inter-fraternity Council formal rush process
concluded last week, but without one of the UA's
largest fraternities, Sigma Phi Epsilon. "Sigma Phi
Epsilon has had their recognition removed by the
university," said UA fraternities and sorority programs
coordinator Zachary Nicolazzo, via e-mail. "Sig Ep is
appealing the decision, but the appeal will not be until
later in the semester." Tyler Carlin, a communication
sophomore and member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said
there were several mitigating factors that eventually
resulted in the fraternity going under as of December
2008.

Virtual training aids interviewees
UA Daily Wildcat Online 2/12/09
Students now have the option of holding a mock
job interview in the luxury of their own home on
their computer. UA Career Services introduced
a new method of interview preparation where
students can practice, and see what to expect,
through a new technique - an online virtual inter-
viewing system, where the only interaction lies
between the student and a computer-designed
character. "It's an incredibly powerful and effective
way to practice your interviews," said Laura Teso,
senior career coordinator of Career Services.
"Plus, it is convenient. Students can use a web-
cam, or even any recording mechanism." The
program, "Interview Prep", allows students to
design their own online mock interview.

Interstate Commerce
Inside Higher Ed 2/12/09
Ask an admissions director at a public university
about recruiting out-of-state students, and you’re
likely to hear a lot about geographic diversity goals
and becoming a nationally recognized institution.
While these are good reasons to target non-state
residents, higher education experts say colleges
may be increasingly inclined to recruit across state
borders just to make ends meet. For some
colleges, like the University of Vermont, out-of-state
students have always been a healthy part of the
enrollment mix. About 66 percent of Vermont’s
freshmen came from out of state this year,
continuing a practice that is designed in part to
make up for relatively low state funding levels. But
as the economy softens, others may follow suit.
Institutions in states like Florida and Ohio are
stepping up efforts to lure non-state residents,
who are likely to bring both strong academic
credentials and a willingness to pay higher
tuition rates.

Sick Economy Puts Strain on Teaching Hospitals
The Chronicle of Higher Education 2/12/09
On a bitter cold day last month, a woman with advanced
breast cancer arrived at the emergency room of
University Hospital in New Jersey, clutching her X-rays
and medical records. The hospital that had diagnosed
her had turned her away because she was uninsured.
University Hospital, which is operated by the University
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, would take her
in, she was told. "With so many people out of work, we've
been inundated by patients like these," says Suzanne H.
Atkin, the hospital's chief medical officer. "We're reaching
a breaking point." Scenes like this are becoming
increasingly familiar at teaching hospitals around the
country as more people lose their jobs, their health
insurance, and their ability to pay medical bills. Major
teaching hospitals account for 6 percent of the nation's
hospitals but provide 41 percent of charity care. That's
putting even more pressure on already-thin operating
margins that are needed to help pay faculty physicians
and support biomedical research

Troubled Times
ecollegetimes.com 2/12/09
The weak economy has affected many aspects of
people’s lives: When to spend and when to save,
when to eat out and when to stay in. But the last
thing Kristina Williams thought she would have to
worry about was whether or not to spend money
on her education. She, along with over 2,000 other
students from all three state universities, gathered
in front of the state capitol at Wesley Bolin Memorial
Park on January 28 to protest the proposed state
budget cuts that would slash the colleges’ budgets
by 40 percent. Their success was limited. On
Saturday, Governor Jan Brewer signed off on a bud-
get plan that will slash $142 million in funding from
the state’s three universities. The impacts are
expected to be drastic and widespread. “We are
going to have to go about this in a very rapid way
that does not constitute good government; we are
going to have to lay people off and we are still un-
sure if we will receive federal stimulus money or
not,” Arizona Board of Regents President Fred
Boice told the Arizona Daily Wildcat.