The College of Engineering is handling state budget uncertainties by focusing on necessities.

The college experienced a $200,000 reduction in budget this fiscal year — 2.1 percent of its overall budget. 

Positions that were left vacant included one department chair, one staff member and four tenured and tenured-track faculty members, said Dean of the College of Engineering John Warwick.

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Warwick said some vacancies may be temporary while others are performing duties outside of the college.

Because of uncertainties, he said the disposal of “at least a couple of positions” is still questionable.

Classes attached with faculty positions that were left vacant are being covered by non-tenured track faculty and graduate assistants, Warwick said. 

To continue offering core courses in the college, he said some elective and graduate courses have been eliminated for the fiscal year.

This strategy has also been used this year by other colleges across campus. Andy Wang, dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts, said while this method can work short-term, it cannot be considered a long-term solution and could damage the university’s reputation.

For Kamron Mikuta, a freshman from Chicago studying mechanical engineering, instructors who are able to teach based on personal experience can better explain concepts.

“Someone with experience is going to be able to pass on not just the actual knowledge, but they’re going to know the way that they learned it,” Mikuta said. “I would probably retain more from that.”

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Cory Ray can reached at [email protected] or at 618-536-3326.