LORMAN — All classes are in session at Alcorn State University, but that might not be the case in a few months.

Alcorn State President George Ross said budget cuts at the state level have forced the university to examine its current course and major offerings and look for ways to save money.

“Actually, we are looking to cut some classes. We haven’t actually done that yet, and you normally wouldn’t do that in the middle of a semester,” Ross said. “We are examining the class schedule for the summer and coming fall and spring semesters.”

The budget cuts were part of a 5 percent across the board cut handed down by Gov. Haley Barbour. Ross said the four-year university based in Lorman lost $1,255,000 in funding.

And Ross said he isn’t confident that this year’s cut will be the last.

“We are planning for as much as that next year,” Ross said. “That would be a cumulative amount of 10 percent and over 2.5 million.”

But while the current course and major evaluations are being done as a result of the funding cuts, Ross said it isn’t unusual for the university to take a closer look at its offerings.

“We look at majors on a rotating basis and examine them every few years,” Ross said. “We will be doing that this year as well.”

Alcorn State currently offers 98 degrees.

Since the university is only in the analysis stage, Ross said no decisions have been made yet. However, he did say each campus of Alcorn State is being looked at, including the campus in Natchez.

“We’re looking at Lorman. We are looking at Natchez. We are looking at Vicksburg,” Ross said. “I don’t consider them separate. They are all Alcorn to me.”

Ross was unsure about the exact amount of money that could be saved by the academic restructuring, but said it is his goal to save money without sacrificing the overall academics at Alcorn State.

“I don’t know (how much money could be saved). That is part of the analysis,” Ross said. “I’m coming at this two different ways — we are looking for financial savings and academic offerings.”

In other efforts to save money, Alcorn State has implemented a hiring freeze that has left more than 60 position unfilled, including some full-time positions.

And while the situation may seem gloomy to outsiders, Ross said that isn’t the case at all.

“The future at Alcorn is bright,” he said. “We aren’t alone in this. The state is not alone in this. The country is not alone in this. This is a global financial issue.”

Ross said budget cuts are something the university has survived in the past, something that makes him confident that the university will not be harmed by the current funding issues.

“Alcorn has been here for 137 years. We have survived recessions in the past, and we have survived budget cuts larger than this,” Ross said. “We’ll have to make some adjustments, but in the end we will be stronger.”