Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Budget cuts force another university to cut extension; more are probably on the way

South Dakota is the latest victim of budget cuts to land-grant universities, which are being proposed or considered all over the nation. South Dakota State University recently announced elimination of 90.8 positions, including 20 extension jobs and closures of two research experiment stations and two campus testing laboratories, Andrea J. Cook of the Rapid City Journal reports. These cuts are part of a $1.2 million loss in in state and federal funds to the university.

Counties now provide office space, equipment and other administrative services for extension offices, and the university pays the salary of the extension specialists, once called agents. “The impact to counties will be determined, to a large degree, by county commissions,” said Barry Dunn, dean of the university's College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. (Read more)

In Oregon, Gov. John Kitzhaber has proposed an 18 percent cut in funding for statewide extension services. "The money would have to be gathered by charging more for research, or 4-H membership or by somehow finding a lot of donations," and Oregon State University "would have to close research facilities," the East Oregonian of Pendleton says in an editorial.

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