In a move that makes slashing course offerings and increasing class sizes seem trivial by comparison, San Francisco State University has announced it could eliminate 10 degree programs in an effort to close a budget deficit sparked by state budget cuts.

The campuses' April 19 announcement -- which has alternately been described as "Dra-

conian," "grim" and "agonizing" -- is the most serious illustration yet of the ways in which public universities may limit their offerings in the face of ongoing budget reductions.

Some say it also could be a sign of things to come as the state's other public universities grapple with budget reductions that have already eliminated millions in state support.

"We're taking cuts upon cuts, and at some point it's going to wear you down," said SFSU Provost John Gemello. John Travis, president of the California Faculty Association, which represents faculty in the 23-campus California State University system, agreed.

"We've known for a long time that if the cuts this year added to the cuts last year, there would be a drastic reduction in CSU," said Travis, who predicted that other CSUs also will submit cost-saving proposals akin to the one under consideration at San Francisco State.

"Last year's cuts took us down to just about having expended our reserve," Travis said, "and while I don't agree with everything San Francisco's administration is talking about, I understand the dilemma they're in. They're up against the wall."

Gemello said his campus needs to close a $22 million budget gap over the next two years, and short-term fixes -- such as cutting out course offerings or "borrowing" from deferred maintenance reserves -- just won't cut it.

The campus budget proposal would take nearly half of the projected shortfall -- $10.3 million -- from academic programs. The cuts would eliminate bachelor's degree programs in interdisciplinary social science, industrial technology, social work, dance and Russian. Also on the chopping block are master's degree programs in family and consumer sciences, gerontology, recreation and leisure studies, kinesiology and Russian.

A minor in California studies would no longer be offered, nor would a program called NEXA, an interdisciplinary approach to teaching science and humanities.

Several other programs would move to "self-support," meaning the campus would no longer pay for them out of its general fund. Instead, those programs, which include the master's program in engineering, master's programs in the College of Business, and the Child Study Center, would have to find ways to generate their own revenue. Typically, Gemello said, the change translates into higher fees for students in those programs.

Other cuts include downsizing some general education programs and limiting growth in undergraduate engineering programs -- programs that had earlier been considered for closure.

The remainder of the campus deficit will be made up from permanent cuts to administrative units, including a $1.4 million reduction in general fund support to athletics and eliminating and reorganizing some offices and departments.

The campus Academic Senate has final say over the elimination of any academic programs, and their review is expected to take several months.

Some of the savings can be implemented immediately, but others, pending Academic Senate approval, will be phased in and will take full effect in fall 2006. Any students in the majors slated for discontinuance will be allowed to finish their degrees, but no new students will be allowed to enroll in the programs that are on the list.

But even though current students won't be affected by the proposed closures, they are mobilizing to save the programs they love.

Students in the undergraduate social work program held a rally Friday and have pledged to start a phone and letter-writing campaign to urge SFSU officials to reconsider the cut. Program officials say the cut will harm the larger community, as well, since organizations throughout San Francisco rely on the thousands of volunteer hours provided by social work undergrads.

And gerontology student San Lu said the decision to close the gerontology master's degree program seems short-sighted, especially since the senior population is growing and there's a dearth of professionals trained to their needs.

About 15 of his peers have joined together to try to keep the program.

"I wish I could do more," said Lu, who will receive his master's degree in gerontology even if the program is cut. "I'm just really displeased with everything that's happening. Education was on the top of the list, of the governor's list, and now it's just kind of not."

CSU spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow said no other campus has suggested cuts along the same lines at San Francisco State, although all campuses are trimming their budgets. CSU absorbed $304 million in cuts this year, and proposed cuts for next year total $240 million.

Each CSU campus is at a different stage of its budget planning, Potes-Fellow said, and many are waiting for the governor to release his revised budget plan in May before making decisions. Campuses have already trimmed enrollment and reduced course offerings and other services to compensate for some of the cuts.

Richard Metz, vice president of administration and business affairs at Cal State Hayward, said budget discussions are ongoing at his campus, which has seen its $80 million state-funded budget slip by about 13 percent over the past two years. Metz anticipates another reduction between 8 and 12 percent next year.

On April 30, the campus issued lay-off notices to 63 nonteaching employees, telling them their positions will be eliminated this summer. Campuses throughout the system hope to spare tenure and tenure-track faculty from layoffs, but staff and lecturers will be let go -- a prospect that doesn't sit well with union president Travis.

Metz said academic departments are discussing ways to trim costs, perhaps by consolidating their efforts, which could lead to linked majors and classes. "It could mean lots of different things," Metz said. "They are trying to be very creative."

Like Travis, Metz also predicts further cuts throughout the system.

"The state is rapidly going away from its promise to provide higher education to everyone who qualifies," Metz said. "If something doesn't happen in the state to address its tax revenue sources, then we will go back on that promise. There's no doubt about it."

The University of California and California Community Colleges systems face similar budgetary problems. UC is looking at a $370 million cut from its $2.7 billion state-funded budget next year. Over the past four years, UC has seen its state-funded budget slip by 16 percent, while enrollment has climbed 16 percent.

UC officials have warned that the cuts are threatening educational quality.

"While we believe quality hasn't suffered, we don't think we have all that much of a safety margin," said Lawrence Pitts, chair of UC's Academic Council. "We believe we're skating on thin ice in terms of what happens in the future."

And the state's two-year college system is bracing for what could be a rush of students, since CSU and UC campuses are limiting their enrollments in the fall. The governor has told them to cut freshman enrollments by 10 percent and send those kids to community colleges instead. Community colleges, though, have already cut course offerings and reduced programs to deal with their own budget problems.

Tuition hikes also are forthcoming across all three systems next year, but the money they generate will do little to offset the cuts.

Fred Prager, managing director of an investment banking firm that advises universities, said it's time public universities stop relying so heavily on state funds and seek out new revenue sources.

The state appropriations to higher education aren't going to increase anytime soon, Prager said. If anything, they'll continue to decline.

"Let's get real about the issue and stop pointing fingers and complaining about the budget cuts as though that is going to change things," said Prager, of the San Francisco office of Prager, Sealy & Co. "Do something about something you can control."

Universities can capture additional revenue from private foundations, he said, or use more of the federal dollars available for research. They also can optimize their investments for greater returns, Prager said.

He said California institutions are often leery of these options, fearing that every dollar earned from an outside source will mean one dollar less from the state.

"Our view is let the public institutions go, give them their head," Prager said. "They can do very well if they're not hamstrung by the legislative process."