That’s down a third in two years. Oops.
Yep. That's not a burble, it's a trend. Academic funding is basically on a four-year cycle, and here, half of that cycle has been a consistent decrease. So it isn't just less money they're having to plan for, it's less and less.
"A class of this size gives us the ability to think carefully about our long-term enrollment planning,” said Garnett Stokes, interim chancellor
It's a lot more than "the ability", it's a cold, ugly necessity. Should a miracle occur and the size of the 2019 freshman class double, they wouldn't be ready to accommodate that because they don't have the money now. Vicious cycle. Or maybe the term "death spiral" will make a comeback.