Plans to drastically cut hours at the University of Arizona's public museums have largely failed to materialize — except in the case of the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium.
Officials will shut the center June 1, saving $200,000 and leaving lingering questions about its future, as a plan to open another science center as part of Rio Nuevo was scrapped earlier this year.
But other cuts announced in February to the Arizona State Museum and the University of Arizona's Museum of Art, which officials said would require the sites to close several days a week, haven't happened. That essentially reverses claims by campus officials that the public would have less interaction with the UA because of state budget cuts.
Officials at both museums said the cuts they've taken have been painful, forcing layoffs and, in one case, a new entry fee.
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However, most of the $57 million in cuts the UA made earlier this year came from excess tuition revenue, reserve funds, layoffs and employee furloughs.
In announcing the cuts on top of a $20 million hit taken at the beginning of the fiscal year, UA President Robert Shelton and Provost Meredith Hay said the public museums would take a major hit.
At the time, one of the UA's top faculty members said the closures were a shrewd move to help the public understand the full impact of state cuts.
But at the Museum of Art, the site's operating hours have remained the same and won't change in the future, said Charles Guerin, the museum's executive director.
The museum is closed on Mondays but open every other day. Closing extra days wasn't feasible because the museum's administration and staff would still be working full time, Guerin said.
"It's not like our galleries are separate from our administrative side," he said.
The museum ended up cutting 4.5 positions and will put on fewer exhibits, though Guerin couldn't provide exact numbers on how much money would be saved.
And by closing extra days, the museum would have lost gate revenue, as it charges entrants without a UA ID $5.
"We're still a viable entity and create an outstanding product for people to enjoy," Guerin said.
Officials ended up closing the Arizona State Museum on Sundays after laying off the security guard who worked that day, though it remains open every other day with the exception of federal and state holidays.
Officials hope to figure out a way to open up on Sundays again, too.
State cuts to the museum came out to about $400,000, which were met in part through a combination of layoffs, staff attrition and an across-the-board pay cut, said Beth Grindell, the museum's director.
The pay cut likely saved six positions, which allowed the museum to maintain its operating hours. However, some services have been impacted.
Access to the museum's library and archives has been scaled back, and positions that coordinated outreach with K-12 schools likely will be cut in the fall, Grindell said.
On top of that, the museum will begin charging $5 for adults and slightly less for children at some point this summer.
"We're dealing with it as best we can, but we can't keep everything open all the time," she said.
Even with the cuts, the museum has had its share of successes this spring, including hosting the largest turnout to the Southwest Indian Art Fair in the event's history.
Meanwhile, another major public draw on campus — UApresents — scaled back its budget and plans as the result of state cuts. Officials with UApresents plan to offer a leaner lineup in the coming season.
Other announced cuts — which included curtailing campus landscaping and shutting off water fountains — have continued as planned, said Al Tarcola, director of facilities management.
