Invited Fresno State faculty, staff and administrators met Thursday behind closed doors to hash out ways to cut, consolidate and eliminate university operations to meet shrinking budgets.

The tentative answers came after discussions held by 12 working groups. University President John Welty later described points of consensus on how to shrink California State University, Fresno:

Consolidate departments and administrative operations.

Simplify administration.

Delay new administrative software programs and maintain what already is in place.

There was no agreement on more drastic cuts, such as eliminating entire schools or colleges.

Welty kept public only his opening introduction to the "budget summit" in the Satellite Student Union, where he reviewed the university's situation.

The campus has absorbed $21.1 million in reduced state money this academic year. It has made up for some of that with $9.2 million from increased student fees and $7.5 million for its increased enrollment.

It will still be $4.4 million short with an additional $3 million in health benefits and other cost increases that the state has not paid.

That leaves the need to cut, he said.

"We are pretty close," Welty said.

He listed several steps already taken. There are fewer and larger classes. The university is holding open positions and filling others with temporary employees, which saved 65 to 70 positions.

Fresno State has cut 10.5 management positions, partly by having associate deans teach again.

And the campus has reduced maintenance.

"Everyone in the university has less to work with," Welty said.

The campus will receive $11 million less in the 2004-2005 academic year, he said, stating the session's big question: how to trim $11 million.

Welty was asked what would happen if voters rejected Gov. Schwarzenegger's $15 billion bond proposal, which appears on the ballot March 2 as a way to address the state budget deficit.

"The $15 billion has to be found somewhere," Welty said.

He listed two options: further cuts or higher taxes.

He predicted that politics will assume a larger role in the CSU system's budgets.

Democrats will argue for higher taxes to save programs, and Republicans will argue for further cuts.

"I think we will go through months of political debate, discussion and wrangling," he said.