Budget Ax Looms for a University Facing Historic Cuts

The clock began ticking on Monday for educators and students hoping to avert a potentially devastating financial blow to the University of Alaska system. Higher tuition, fewer students, crushing layoffs and program closures all loomed as frightening possibilities on Day 1 of the state’s special legislative session. The fiscal year had already begun, on July 1, and in a few months, a new crop of students would be arriving at the state’s far-flung campuses.