North Dakota State University is facing drastic budget cuts, the school's new president said Tuesday.

David Cook wrote in a campus-wide email that significant reductions will be necessary due to decreasing enrollments over the past several years. He describes the cuts as "incredibly difficult."

The north Fargo campus is facing a $10.5 budget shortfall for the next biennium. Cook said he has asked the school's deans to help with "rightsizing and reorganizing the academic enterprise" and creating new programs to meet workforce needs. The school is also looking at new strategies to retain students, he said.

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The email does not mention layoffs, KFGO radio reported.f

Cook said most of the NDSU's money comes from tuition and state revenue, both of which are dependent on student numbers. Enrollment at the university is at a 15-year low.

"Please understand that I know NDSU has been living through numerous years of budget cuts, and I appreciate how difficult it has been," Cook said. "My goal is for us to transform our operations strategically so that we can set NDSU up for future success."