Asheville-area college students see delays - Jon Ostendorf, Asheville Citzen-Times

College upperclassmen in North Carolina next fall will feel $414 million in statewide cuts to the university system in a very real way: delayed graduation. Provost Jane K. Fernandes said Tuesday that UNC Asheville's nearly 12 percent cut will mean larger classes and a heavier workload for faculty along with fewer offerings of required courses for students. “We will do everything we can to assist with timely graduation,” she said Tuesday. “However, we anticipate that some students will not be able to get the courses they need to graduate in time.” The same will be true at Western Carolina University, where officials are dealing with a 16.4 percent cut. The reduction will mean “an increase in the time it will take students to graduate,” Chancellor David O. Belcher said.