KEARNEY- On Monday, University of Nebraska at Kearney Chancellor Doug Kristensen finalized $2.3 million in budget cuts, including 24.5 faculty positions and a handful of degrees. The proposed cuts will be sent to NU President Ted Carter for final approval on December 1st, and come as the University of Nebraska System faces a projected $58 million budget shortfall over the next two years.

UNK faces an expected $4.3 million deficit, which it plans to address through $2.3 million in academic cuts and $2 million in administrative reductions. According to a campus news release, a previously implemented hiring freeze, including 77 full-time positions, has saved UNK around $4.1 million, so the university plans to continue to follow a similar plan as it struggles against the budget deficit.

"These are undoubtedly challenging times, but we are taking decisive action to position UNK for the future," Kristensen said in a statement. Christopher Exstrom, a professor of chemistry and president of UNK's Faculty Senate, echoed a similar sentiment, saying that it has been an "exceptionally trying time as we navigate through these cuts."

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