C. Scott Green

Days after the demise of a higher education budget, University of Idaho President C. Scott Green is looking for backup from alumni and business leaders.

The $49.4 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money will only go so far on Idaho’s college campuses. It won’t cover all of the schools’ COVID-related losses — or the revenue the schools have lost to the pandemic.

The numbers bring Whitman County’s total case count since March to 559. Well over half of those have come in the past 10 days. Nearly all the new cases are in Pullman’s college-age population – despite Washington State University moving classes online for this fall semester.

Facing the threat of coronavirus-driven state budget cuts, the University of Idaho is considering mandatory employee furloughs. The proposed furlough plan would cut about $3.3 million in spending, U of I President C. Scott Green said in a memo to staff and faculty Monday.

The University of Idaho will have to cut employees and cut programs in order to erase tens of millions of dollars in budget shortfalls, President C. Scott Green said Monday. Green didn't go into details about where the cuts might come — but he said he is committed to getting the university’s budget back in line by 2022.