It was the Legislature's final chance at reducing the state's $500 million budget fiasco.
But ASU President Michael Crow appeared to be prepared for the worst, as he devised a plan to prepare for the potential 5 percent budget cuts that the Legislature could ask all public universities to take.
That cut would trim ASU's budget by $15.28 million not including the 213 full-time jobs also set for cuts.
While the situation seems grim, Executive Vice President and University Provost Milton Glick said there are approximately 150 seats across campus that are already vacant or are new growth positions that haven't been filled.
"The number of forced reductions will be minimal," he said.
ASU Main isn't the only one feeling the pinch.
Satellite campuses, ASU West and East, will receive their own 5 percent cut, as well as UA and NAU.
"We will try to direct the cuts away from our academic units," Crow said but added that if this sort of major cut occurred again, academic programs may have to be eliminated.
During the Academic Senate meeting Monday, Crow said there would be a loss of services that students and faculty are used to, such as clean floors and repainted buildings, but intends to use the resources to protect the colleges above all else.
"The University has reached its limit of amount of energy from its faculty and staff that it can take to support students," he said. "Six thousand more students have been added, but we still have the same amount of faculty."
Crow emphasized the importance of avoiding state dependence for ASU's funding, adding that he wanted to eliminate subsidies by expanding research revenue, look at increasing tuition and get money from outside investors.
"The University will finally have its own head with no rope," he said.
Crow said they have been able to continue in providing good academic services but cannot be kept up without other sources of revenue.
"I'm optimistic in five years, [ASU] we will be stronger than we are today," Crow said.
"Cautiously optimistic."
Reach the reporter at christina.viloria@asu.edu.
