Budget Cuts May Batter New Mexico Program

Cuts in the state budget may pose a threat to study-abroad programs at the University of New Mexico.

Thomas Bogenschild, director of the university’s Office of International Programs and Studies, told the Daily Lobo newspaper that cuts could cost his office about $160,000, which could close the program forever.

“A 43 percent reduction in legislative support for OIPS will fundamentally cripple and likely destroy international study opportunities for all UNM students,” he said.

Bogenschild and students at the university have been lobbying the New Mexico Legislature to keep funding the program, which not only helps students plan study-abroad experiences but also assists international students who come to the Albuquerque campus.