More than a decade of falling state funding is catching up with Western Illinois University. Tuesday WIU officials announced plans to cut more than 7 million dollars from next year's budget, including the elimination of 50 faculty positions.
Vice president for the Quad Cities campus, Joe Rives, says his campus has been economizing for years - reducing administrative costs so the university can focus on student retention and graduation.
In the coming months, WIU officials say they'll try to cut four million dollars more from next year's budget, and that eliminating programs, wage cuts, and furloughs are all possibilities.