AASU Dental Hygiene Program May Fall Under Budget Ax

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Millions of dollars in proposed budget cuts are hitting home for some Armstrong Atlantic State University students. They've learned their dental hygiene program could be pulled, as the state Legislature considers cutting 300 million from the University System of Georgia.

The almost 40 students in the dental hygiene program at Armstrong were told Wednesday their associates degree program could end this semester because of budget cuts.

"We learned it in the clinic right before we almost had patients. The clinic was actually shut down because everyone was upset," said first-year student Billie Castro. He said he's not sure about the future if the program folds before his class can graduate.

"Most likely for me, I won't be able to afford to move to another college. I may just have to change my major and start anew," he said.

The students provide low-cost services at the AASU Dental Hygiene Clinic to hundreds of people, and in February they served about 200 children in one day at a free clinic.

"We see patients of all different kinds and a lot of them are ones that can't really afford dental procedures or they've been coming to us for all these years and we're their only option," said Andrea Lee, who's graduating in May.

The students, many who waited three to five years to get into the program, met with school administration Wednesday afternoon but were told nothing is official.

"They gave us numbers and let us know what was going on but they didn't really have a lot of answers for us," said Lee.

Hoping the state cuts won't be as deep as feared, the students are looking for support to keep their program alive.

"Look at the people, the quality of work that we do, rather than just trying to cut numbers," said Castro.

The University System of Georgia was told to prepare for the possibility of $300 million in cuts for the upcoming fiscal year. Armstrong's share of that is an estimated $5.3 million.

Armstrong officials said they're facing the prospect of cutting another $5.3 million from their budget, or about 17 percent. The school said in a statement, "It will be necessary to discontinue some specific programs and services... The university community is currently in the midst of this process and conversations are being held on campus with the students, faculty and staff who could be affected by reductions."

AASU's dental hygiene program was the first in the state when it was started in 1968.

The following statement was released by Armstrong Atlantic State University Wednesday.
"In February, despite an appeal from University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Erroll Davis Jr. that universities have already taken deep cuts, state legislators asked the USG to immediately prepare a plan to address the state’s budget crisis by trimming an additional $300 million from the USG fiscal year 2011 budget. This is in addition to the $265 million reduction already recommended by Governor Perdue for FY 2011.

Armstrong’s share of the $300 million reduction is $5.3 million. The university was asked to submit a plan that would cut that amount from its FY 2011 budget. These proposed cuts come in addition to a reduction of $3.9 million (10 percent of the total appropriated budget) that is already in place for the current fiscal year 2010. These cuts included the elimination of vacant positions – both faculty and staff – slashing operating budgets, cutting energy usage, eliminating one department, and restructuring and consolidating six academic departments into three.

Fulfilling the current request would effectively cut AASU's already-reduced budget by 17 percent. Knowing the depth of these additional cuts and the fact that 76 percent of AASU’s budget goes to support programs and cover personnel costs, the institution cannot possibly meet the additional request for cuts with a reduction in operating costs alone.

It will be necessary to discontinue some specific programs and services.

AASU’s outreach programs, including continuing education, the Liberty Center and the Brunswick Center, have been included in the reduction plans. In addition, academic programs will be impacted.

The university community is currently in the midst of this process and conversations are being held on campus with the students, faculty and staff who could be affected by reductions. The university is proceeding extremely carefully with a focus on continuing to provide the best possible education to AASU students even as state funding continues to be reduced."