I heard a rumor that the Football program is at risk of being cut. Is this the case? Are any sports in danger? Thanks in advance for your help!

I am confident this is not true – but have heard it come around so I thought I would share so it could be addressed.

The state may be considering closing a university – and if that is the case – it would be NAU.

That is definitely a rumor. Human Resources indicates they have had no discussions on this topic. In fact, NAU’s policy on layoffs/reduction in force
does not include this provision.

I have heard that to plan for the budget cuts that classes with fewer than 15 students registered will be cancelled for that semester. Is this true, and if so, what exactly does it entail?

NAU is looking at all low-enrollment courses to determine if any can be offered more efficiently.

Regular undergraduate courses with 15 or fewer students and graduate courses with 10 or fewer students are only target numbers as a way of promoting a more efficient way of scheduling. For example, a class with 12 students once a semester may be better to schedule once a year with 24 students.

However, it is important to note that no hard-and-fast rules will be set, and certain courses that have equipment or other constraints (such as some music courses) will not be affected.

Is the dome construction now put on hold because of these cuts?
I've heard rumors that it is.

The Skydome fire and life safety renovation is on hold for now, but it's not directly related to NAU's expected budget cut.

The Legislature had approved a series of projects as part of the SPEED package (see nau.edu/speed) that were to be funded largely by Lottery revenues. The dome was one of those projects.

However, a final legislative review of the projects stalled all but two (renovation of North Union and infrastructure repair on the North Campus).

The dome's renovation is still awaiting a review and will proceed when that happens. However, NAU is unsure when the legislative committee will convene for the review.