WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Classes and teachers are on the chopping block at Southern University as the school responds to a drop in money from the state.

The Southern University system took a 30 percent budget hit in the last round of cuts. Today, the board took the first steps toward downsizing to fit the new budget demands.

The first to go were five degree programs at the Baton Rouge campus. Those groups, which include computer science education and agricultural education, had no students or faculty attached to them.

Board members also voted to begin shrinking the system's faculty by allowing members to opt into a retirement or resignation incentive plan. That incentive plan could start as early as next week.

The board will allow two weeks for faculty members to decide if they'll volunteer for the incentive plan. If, after that, the university still can't comply with the budget, it could move to fire some faculty and staff.