Feature interview with U of S president Ilene Busch-Vishniac

Ilene Busch-Vishniac, the new president of the University of Saskatchewan, says she is prepared for unpopularity as the school prepares cuts to meet a $44 million financial shortfall.

Busch-Vishniac said she was aware, before taking the job in early 2012, that the Saskatoon-based school was facing a number of challenges.

In addition to the annual $44 million funding shortfall, the university needs an estimated $500 million to deal with aging facilities.

In an interview with CBC News, Busch-Vishniac said she is prepared to make difficult cuts.

"Everything's on the table for inspection," she told CBC's Jennifer Quesnel. "There are no sacred cows here. We are looking everywhere for places we can trim without offering a decline in the services we offer and our education and discovery mission."

Busch-Vishniac also committed to examining the university's expenditures on administration.

"We are looking at the administrative side of the university," she said, although her own $400,000 annual salary was likely safe, according to the chair of the board of governors.

"I am motivated to do the right things for the organization, for the people of Saskatchewan," she added. "I am not motivated by how popular I am."

Officials have already been exposed to backlash over a recent decision to shutter a popular arts program offered at Emma Lake, Sask.