Reductions in teachers, courses, enrollment and staff -- including four layoffs -- are necessary for Fresno State to meet an $11 million reduction in next fiscal year's budget, university President John Welty said Thursday.

California State University, Fresno, will reduce enrollment by 900 next academic year, allowing further faculty reductions. Class sizes will grow as the number of classes diminishes.

Every effort will be made next academic year to provide the courses students need, but 200 fewer classes will be offered, Welty told about 700 university faculty and staff members in the Satellite Student Union.

The university will not rehire 144 part- and full-time lecturers and faculty members, Welty said. An additional 14 faculty members who asked to work reduced time will be allowed to do so.

The university administration tried to hold layoffs to a minimum, he said, but "we will have to lay off four people [one in management and three staff employees]. The people ... have been notified." He listed cutbacks: Laying off the one management employee and three staff members.

Eliminating seven management and 35 staff positions that are vacant and keeping four other management and 15 staff positions unfilled (but not eliminating them).

Not rehiring 129 part-time lecturers, 12 full-time lecturers and three retired faculty members. Lecturers do not have job security tenure.

Suspending two undergraduate options (an emphasis within a major) and two graduate options in the College of Health and Human Services.

In addition, Welty announced consolidation of departments in the Craig School of Business and in the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences. He said enrollment will remain suspended in industrial engineering.

Welty called the cutbacks "difficult and very painful," but said the state's budget crisis may force still more, including consolidation of departments, schools and colleges to save administrative costs. "We should consider moving toward fewer colleges," he said, mentioning July 1, 2005, as a possible deadline.

Welty said he has consulted with faculty since Gov. Schwarzenegger released his January state budget proposal, which was bad news for the campus. Welty's consultation process included a February budget summit on campus with faculty members.

Neil Gibson, Associated Students president, asked Welty whether he had considered suggestions that grew from a student budget summit. Welty said he had.

Michelle Jerkovich, Associated Students vice president for finance, heard part of Welty's remarks, and commented later on students' general attitude toward reduced course offerings.

"All students are concerned about what may happen next year," she said, "but I don't think anything is set in stone. So they don't know how concerned they should be."

Faculty members also sounded wary but unable to argue that the cuts are unnecessary.

Welty was asked during the session whether the Athletic Department was suffering the same degree of cuts, and he said it was. He also was asked how the Save Mart Center's finances played into the academic budget.

He answered that the arena is a self-supporting enterprise of the Fresno State Association, so it does not take money from the university's general fund.

Geology professor Robert Merrill, chapter president of the California Faculty Association, representing about half the faculty members on campus, was frustrated by financial issues. Merrill said it is difficult for the faculty to know whether budget decisions are fair because most faculty members lack expertise in university budgets.

"I am not convinced that the process is open and fair," he said.