Lane Community College Proposes Cutting Programs, Up to 23 Positions to Save $4 Million

Lane Community College President Stephanie Bulger presented proposed budget cuts Wednesday that would eliminate between 20.5 and 23 positions and shut down two associate-degree programs as part of a three-year effort to restore the college's general fund balance.

The health information management associate degree and the criminal justice associate degree are both targeted for elimination. News outlets reported different position totals from the same Board of Education work session: KLCC put the figure at 20.5, KVAL reported 22, and NBC16 reported 23. LCC has not released a single consolidated public figure. The planned eliminations include operations and support services positions as well as one already-vacant academic position, according to KVAL.

The college says the full package of changes is expected to save roughly $4 million, with about $1 million of that coming from academic program cuts. The proposals are part of a three-year mitigation plan to stabilize the college's general fund.

Jenna McCulley, LCC's senior adviser for strategic communications, said the goal is to protect classroom instruction. "The goal is to stabilize resources and to minimize impact to the classroom," McCulley said. "So, in those shifts, it may mean a shift in assignment which the work could potentially pause or look differently where we can put those expert faculty back in-front of the classroom." LCC emphasized that eliminating positions does not necessarily mean layoffs, with some roles potentially reassigned rather than cut outright.

For students currently enrolled in the two programs, McCulley said the college is developing a "teach out" plan to allow them to complete their degrees. If the board ultimately approves the cuts, neither program would accept new students.

Rick Riordan, the Health Information Management program coordinator, said he was left uncertain about what the college's language actually means in practice. "Using terms like 'repurposing,' which were not even clear what exactly that entails," Riordan said. "I assume it means teaching something else. Maybe they don't realize that, but by eliminating the program, not only are they going to be harming the 60-odd students who are taking our program, but they are going to be hurting the community in the terms of healthcare."

The cuts were presented during a work session, which typically does not include public comment. Trustees Steve Mital and Julie Weismann pushed back on calls for a more extended public deliberation process, arguing the board had already given President Bulger the guidance and authority to identify reductions. "You've limited the impact to the student facing programs, you've maximized the impact elsewhere in alignment with our values, that's the reassurance I'm looking for," Mital said. He added that a prolonged public process over the two targeted programs would still require finding equivalent cuts somewhere else, affecting a different set of students or faculty.

The LCC Board of Education's next public meeting, scheduled for March 31, will be the first opportunity for community members to formally comment on the proposals. LCC serves more than 25,000 students per year across a 4,600-square-mile service area in Lane County.