You may have heard of growing pains, but let me share with you about my experience this afternoon with shrinking pains, more specifically, budget reduction. I tuned in today to the “town hall” with NMSU administration, and the cards were laid out in full view. (I attend a PhD program at NMSU.) Here’s the news: The budget reduction that will occur at NMSU in the very near future is $14.2 MILLION. Once that was revealed, the rest of the meeting involved discourse around HOW. Fear and worry are real now, as jobs are likely part of that reduction. NMSU is not the only higher education institute in our country facing this very uncomfortable reality. “Last month, employment in state government education dropped by 49,000 jobs and employment in private education fell by 69,000 jobs, according to employment data released last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.” Read more about the effects of the budget crisis affecting our country’s colleges and universities here New Round of Budget Cuts Hitting Personnel in Inside Higher Ed. This will be a difficult time for many of our fellow New Mexicans and our beloved Aggies.
Shrinking Pains
