Reno's Basque Center saved from Budget Cut

The Centre for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada in Reno has been spared a huge cut to its budget, Euskal Kazeta reported on Friday.

The Center was theatened with cuts of half a million dollars, the equivalent to half its annual budget.

The cutbacks were put forward by the Governor of Nevada, Brian Sandoval, and were tantamount to a complete withdrawal of the Center's state funding.

Public funding from the US government makes up half of the Basque Center's annual 1 million-dollar budget. The rest comes from the Basque Government and other institutions in the Basque Country.

The decision not to go ahead with the cuts came in the final hours before the Administration adjourned for the summer.

Co-Director of the Centre, Joseba Zulaika, described the decision as "fantastic news".

The Basque Center is the world's leading academic institute, outside of the Basque Country, dedicated to research in Basque-related issues.

It has a highly specialised library which houses more than 50,000 volumes and archived photos which are available for viewing via the Internet.