Dalton State College officials are grappling with unexpected budget cuts that threaten to cut entire programs and jobs, according to an e-mail from college President Dr. John Schwenn.
In an e-mail sent Thursday to "Members of the DSC Community," Dr. Schwenn said the college may have to cut an additional $4 million from its 2011 fiscal year budget.
"Of this, $2.4 million is beyond what was included in the budget recommended by the governor last week and is therefore completely unanticipated," he wrote in the e-mail.
By noon Saturday, colleges must submit their proposed reductions to the University System of Georgia's Chancellor's office.
Dr. Schwenn met Thursday afternoon with the the college's senior administrative staff, deans, chairs of the faculty advisory assembly, staff council and the president of the student government association to discuss what he referred to in the e-mail as a budget "crisis."
Faculty and staff also were asked to attend a meeting this morning.
"A reduction of this magnitude will entail dramatic and extremely painful actions," Dr. Schween said in the e-mail. "It is very likely that entire programs will be eliminated or drastically reduced. It may be necessary, indeed, to declare a state of financial exigency, which in turn clears the way for termination of tenured faculty as well as untenured faculty and staff positions."