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UC Riverside chancellor announces new round of budget cuts

Students near the Bourns College of Engineering building at the University of California, Riverside
Students near the Bourns College of Engineering building at the University of California, Riverside
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Courtesy University of California, Riverside
)

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UC Riverside is bracing for a new round of budget cuts as the state cuts its support. The word comes from Chancellor Timothy White, who announced last month that funding cuts would delay the opening of Riverside’s new medical school by at least a year.

A $46 million budget chasm faces UCR this new fiscal year. The university is still reeling from news that a lack of state funding has placed accreditation for its medical school on hold.

In a letter to campus staff, Chancellor White said the latest cuts will inflict “real pain on individuals” – in other words, layoffs. It’s unclear which, or how many, workers might lose their jobs.

Some departments are losing up to 9 percent of state funding, and administrative departments will be among the hardest hit. Campus police and core faculty will go largely unscathed. The university will also spare employee retirement funds and financial aid to students who need it.

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Chancellor White says the cuts would’ve been deeper if the UC Board of Regents hadn’t raised tuition rates this month by nearly 10 percent, on top of an 8 percent increase it imposed last year.

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