Labor rulings and administrative retrenchment collided this week as an arbitrator ordered Portland State University to reinstate 10 laid‑off faculty, finding the university violated its collective‑bargaining agreement in rushing dismissals tied to an $18 million deficit plan. The decision highlights tensions between shared governance and urgent budget cuts. At the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the chancellor pared proposed program eliminations from six to four, but faculty committees criticized evaluation metrics and the speed of decision‑making. Together the cases underscore how financial stress is forcing contested choices over programs, personnel and shared governance across public universities.