Colleges in Washington State Face Cuts in Information-Technology Programs Possibly Causing More Problems for the State Economy.

Business leaders and university officials fear that proposed budget cuts in the State of Washington could hurt college programs that teach information technology to students, possibly causing more problems for the state economy.

By DAN CARNEVALE The Chronicle of Higher Education

The state is hurting for college graduates with expertise in computer science and technology. And budget cuts may force some university administrators to reduce the number of slots available for students to take courses in those fields.

Many states are reeling from the weak economy and are being forced to make deep budget cuts. Facing a $2.6-billion deficit in the state’s $25-billion biennial budget, the Washington State Legislature is looking at cutbacks as well.

Earlier budget proposals from the state’s Senate and governor call for a 5- to 7-percent reduction from $2.7-billion in higher-education spending. The State House of Representatives is looking to pass a budget with fewer cuts. All budget versions propose increases in tuition and fees.

Lane Rawlins, president of Washington State University, says technology programs are attractive candidates for cuts because they are so expensive. The problem, he says, is that those programs are also among the most popular with students.

"The place where we have the biggest demand, the health sciences and high-tech programs, are also the programs with the highest cost," Mr. Rawlins says. "In the very near future, we will have no choice but to cut back on those programs."

Currently at WSU’s Pullman campus, the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science receives $3.9-million from the university. There are 339 undergraduate students majoring in computer science there. How much the programs would be cut remains to be seen. The university will most likely prevent those programs from expanding, at the very least.

But Ken Myer, president of a consortium of state businesses and institutions called the Technology Alliance, says those programs need to expand so more students can graduate with experience in computer science. That, in turn, will help heal the economy.

"We are not producing enough four-year graduates with technology degrees," Mr. Myer says. "Part of it is the budget issues. Part of it is an anti-tax wave that has gone through the state in the past couple of years."

The Democratic-controlled House has proposed some sales-tax increases to make up for the budget shortfall. Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled Senate has proposed giving tax breaks to high-tech and bio-tech companies in the state.

Mr. Myer says the money needs to be spent on expanding the capacity of college technical programs. "It’s not a question of quality — it’s more of a question of quantity," he says. "There’s just a need for more capacity at the four-year college level."

Norm Arkans, associate vice president for university relations at the University of Washington, says the Legislature will probably debate the budget cuts into the summer. Until that’s settled, the university won’t be able to figure out how much of what should be cut.

"We’re going to end up with some cuts, but we don’t know" what kind, Mr. Arkans says. "It creates real difficult decisions for institutions to manage these types of cuts."

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