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鈥淭hese cuts reflect the broader financial challenges facing the university. All units across campus are contributing to efforts to bring total expenditures back in line with revenues,鈥� said Michael Staten 鈥� interim dean of the UA College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences (CALES), which houses Cooperative Extension 鈥� in a Thursday email to the college and program.

But UA Chair of the Faculty Leila Hudson said she was under the impression that all Cooperative Extension funding comes from the state, so she was surprised the program is taking a cut like the rest of UA鈥檚 units which aren鈥檛 funded directly by state budget line items. 鈥淚 think it might compromise the understanding that we have with the state about how our land grant mission is interpreted and funded,鈥� she said.

UA Secretary of the Faculty Katie Zeiders said she and other faculty in leadership positions sent a memo to UA administrators last November on this issue but received no response. 鈥淚 raised specific concerns about the limits the UA central administration was placing on state-allocated Cooperative Extension funds. Now, UA has reduced Cooperative Extension鈥檚 budget (or spending authority) again,鈥� she said Monday.

鈥淭hese funds are designated by the state legislature with direct mandates to support communities across Arizona. While UA administration may argue over the details 鈥� such as whether this is a specific state line item or not 鈥� Cooperative Extension funding should be used as intended. To cap, restrict, or limit these funds goes against legislative intent and, frankly, undermines the critical work of our Cooperative Extension state specialists, agents, and staff,鈥� Zeiders said.

鈥淯A continues to risk losing some of our most valuable community members: staff in rural areas who have long supported UA鈥檚 mission, and programming that serves farmers, ranchers, schools, and community groups across the state,鈥� she said.

UA spokesperson Mitch Zak, however, said Cooperative Extension receives funding from the UA as well as the state. The annual spending authority is decided through a collaborative process with college leadership, he said.

The university is 鈥渄eeply committed to our Cooperative Extension and Experiment Station, which serves local communities in all 15 counties in all corners of the state,鈥� Zak said.

In an email communication July 8, UA Associate Vice President and Extension Director Ed Martin said the reduction in Cooperative Extension鈥檚 spending authority is no different than any other UA unit faces.

The UA announced a 3% cut to its overall budget for fiscal year 2026 in May. The FY26 budget is balanced and eliminated the final $65 million of the UA鈥檚 previous deficit dating to 2023.

Experiment station cuts

In addition to the Cooperative Extension spending cut, , which is part of CALES and Cooperative Extension, faces a 9.6% budget decrease. The station offers infrastructure to projects developing 鈥渘ew knowledge and technologies in arid-land agriculture, natural resource management, and human wellness.鈥�

The 9.6% budget decrease is due to an across-the-board 3% reduction imposed by the university, along with loss of New Economy Initiative funding 鈥渢hat the State Legislature chose not to renew, and funding changes as a result of centralization of IT,鈥� Staten wrote.

Arizona Experiment Station units 鈥渁re exploring ways to grow self-generated revenue to maintain service levels,鈥� he said.

The funding loss comes on top of the fact that Arizona鈥檚 experiment sites have an 鈥渆normous鈥� amount of deferred maintenance and the equipment in many cases is very old, said Shane Burgess. Burgess is the former vice president of the UA Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension, as well as former CALES dean, who was into a faculty position April 10.

Zak said that while some of CALES鈥� reductions are 鈥渢ied to internal decisions, they also reflect impacts from the loss of state New Economy Initiative funding.鈥�

On a federal level, the or SNAP-Ed program, funded by the U.S. Agriculture Department, has been eliminated as of Sept. 30, the end of federal fiscal year 2025. Staten said this will significantly impact nutrition and Family, Community, and Health Sciences programming across the state.

鈥淭his program helps educate some of our communities鈥� most vulnerable populations,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淚t was also a major part of our FCHS (Family, Community, and Health Sciences) program, involving over 70 people and 53 full-time equivalent positions across the state. We are working with federal and state partners to try to reinstate the funding and plan how we will move forward without it, in coordination with UA officials.鈥�

Zak said the UA is assessing the effects of the elimination of the SNAP-Ed funding.

Also, the state鈥檚 new budget provides no additional general funding for Cooperative Extension. 鈥荣 is receiving $2 million, however, in targeted line-item funding in Arizona鈥檚 fiscal year 2026 budget. This amount is 鈥渞estricted funding,鈥� said Staten.

Burgess said restricted funding is any money designated for a specific purpose.

鈥淲e are pleased,鈥� said UA spokesperson Zak, 鈥渢hat the state budget includes a $2 million continuation in the Water Irrigation Efficiency Program and also a $1.35 million investment in the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA). These targeted investments support efforts to find solutions to the challenges of arid-land crop production and water resource management. As restricted, one-time appropriations, these dollars are specifically dedicated to those efforts.鈥�

鈥淲e are stretched thinly鈥�

Looking at the road ahead, Staten said newly-appointed UA Provost Patricia Prelock has asked all college deans to identify three to five goals for next year.

The goals for CALES and Cooperative Extension include:

鈥� Securing reinvestment in CALES infrastructure and operational stability;

鈥� Recruiting a dean with the vision to 鈥渆levate CALES as a 21st-century land-grant college;鈥�

鈥� Re-evaluating a smaller enrollment in undergraduate programs at CALES;

鈥� Developing and implementing an integrated student data system for tracking and evaluating the impact of our student-success programs; and,

鈥� Elevating the understanding and appreciation of the land-grant mission across the UA.

鈥淥ur mission remains the same, but the team is smaller than it was two years ago,鈥� Staten wrote. 鈥淲e are stretched thinly. But I believe this is temporary. Going forward, we must be more selective and purposeful about what we choose to take on. Whatever we decide to do, let鈥檚 resolve to do really well.鈥�