At first, university budget cuts didn’t seem so bad. Then leaders took another look. - LINDA BLACKFORD, Lexington Herald-Leader

But then on Wednesday morning, university presidents started delving into the 70 programs Bevin wants to eliminate from the state budget, many of them housed at state universities, and the ballooning pension obligations regional universities must pay without extra help from the state. At Morehead State University, for example, the 6.25 percent cut equals a $2.5 million reduction next year on top of a $2.7 million increase in next year’s pension obligation. In addition, the university would lose all $200,000 in funding for one of Morehead’s prized programs, the Kentucky Folk Art Center. “That’s the pain we know of right now, plus we have to add it to the regular increase in fixed costs,” said Morehead President Jay Morgan. Altogether, the university could face as much as a $9 million hole in each of the next two year’s budgets. http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/education/article195203044.html