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CHAPEL HILL — As campuses across the UNC system cut jobs and slash budgets, UNC President Erskine Bowles said Friday the state budget reductions could have been much worse.

“This is the toughest economic environment of my lifetime,” Bowles told the UNC Board of Governors in his President’s Report on Friday morning. “Given that, I think the budget was nothing short of remarkable.”

The new state budget cuts about $171 million, or about 6 percent, from the UNC system’s base budget .

Still, Bowles said, the state government’s funding of the system’s need-based financial aid and tuition plan will allow state universities to continue providing access for students who could not otherwise attend college.

Bowles said legislators resisted pressure to make deeper cuts — no easy task during the ongoing state financial crisis.

“I think our elected officials really stood up,” Bowles said. “And I think they’ve demonstrated enormous confidence in us. It shows they believe in us. And as my Daddy used to tell me all the time, anyone and everyone will be there for you when times are good. But it’s the ones who really believe in you who are there for you when times are tough.”

Bowles sees plenty of tough times ahead.

“There is plenty of pain in this budget, much of it self-inflicted,” he said.

Though the system’s base cut will be about 6 percent , schools within the system will take a 10 percent cut to their budgets in preparation for more tough times.

As many as 1,877 jobs will be lost across the system’s 16 campuses , Bowles said.

N early two-thirds of those positions are currently vacant because of last year’s $170 million in cuts, Bowles said.

“We had intended to keep them vacant for a year,” Bowles said. “Now we are losing them forever.”

Last month, UNCG and N.C. A&T released their proposals for 10 percent cuts from their 2009-2010 budgets .

UNCG said it would cut more than $17 million from its budget.

A&T expects to cut more than $10.5 million from its budget .

The proposals include the loss of the equivalent of 156 full-time positions at UNCG and 71 full-time jobs at A&T .

Under the proposal, UNCG would lose 76 faculty positions. A&T would lose 35 faculty positions .

A&T laid off six staff members shortly after the announcement. Both schools have been shedding adjunct faculty and assistant professors, who teach many lower-level classes.

UNCG estimates the cuts will mean 6,000 fewer seats available in its classes and 200 fewer course sections.

A&T said it will lose about 3,000 classroom seats and about 100 course sections.

“People are going to look at the cuts and say, 'Wow,’” said UNCG Chancellor Linda Brady after Friday’s meeting. “But we could be in California.

“And you have to take Erskine’s point and look at a 10 percent cut on the campuses because we know there’s going to be a reversion,” she said.

“And there may be another 1 to 2 percent cut coming again next year.”

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or joe.killian@news-record.com