By Jayme Fraser

This is the first article of a four-part series exploring the possible effects of more than $32 million in budget cuts to Montana's higher education over the next two years.

The Montana Senate is expected to vote on the state's budget this week before sending it to the governor for approval. This topic has been difficult to nail down because the legislature has authority only to dictate how much the regents receive, not how they appropriate the funds, and the regents don't want to reveal their cards until the session is over.

Each article includes a personal story and an analysis on the topic. This first part explores the history and process of cutting programs at the University of Montana to balance the budget.

The first story, by Fraser, looks at two programs that were cut to save money in 1989. The second story, by Heidi Groover, analyzes the University of Montana's new budgeting process linking academic reviews to funding.