'We've grown to hate Fridays': New Mexico universities, colleges grappling with $134 million in federal cuts

New Mexico’s colleges and universities are grappling with $134 million in federal funding cuts, officials from the Higher Education Department told lawmakers Monday afternoon — with impacts ranging from stalled environmental research at sprawling universities to diminished student support services at small community colleges.

The cuts are now “impacting every facet of the higher education [department]’s missions,” Gerald Hoehne, chief of staff for the Higher Education Department, told lawmakers on the Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee, during an afternoon session in Las Cruces that also included several hours of presentations from university research leaders.

Universities are scrambling to adjust to shifting federal priorities and uncertain about what to expect, presenters said.