The University canceled faculty research leaves for the upcoming academic year in a reaction to budget cuts demanded by the state, a publication reported Friday.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported University Provost Arnett Mace called for the suspension of research leaves, and the deans of the various colleges announced the decision to their staffs Wednesday.

A research leave allows professors to take a semester off with full pay, or a year off at half pay.

The announcement, less than a week before the semester begins, could be troublesome for some professors who already made arrangements, the Chronicle reported. But that was still a point of confusion, the Chronicle reported, after Mace clarified he never intended to suspend all faculty leaves, only those not already approved.

Last month, Chancellor Erroll Davis asked the University to plan for a possible 3.5 percent or 5 percent budget cut. The plan submitted to the Board of Regents outlines how the University would make due with less in the 2009 and 2010 financial years.

Each department and budgetary unit was asked, considering its core missions, where cuts would be made if it had to cut 3.5 percent or 5 percent.

The Chronicle of Higher Education contributed to this report.