The pain of possible job cuts at Whanganui UCOL is being taken hard by staff and students.
Bernie Steyn is in the second year of his fine arts degree - a course which is scheduled to be wound up - and says he is unlikely to complete his study if lecturer Marty Vreede is not teaching next year.
Mr Vreede is a Fulbright scholar and was the Prime Minister's Supreme Award winner for excellence in education in 2010.
"If the rumour mill is correct and UCOL replace Marty, I won't return next year," Mr Steyn said.
"To take away from him the satisfaction of seeing the current students graduate defies belief.
"It is not about the piece of paper for me, it's about the quality of learning and, at the end of the day, I'm paying fees."
Mr Steyn hopes to specialise in print making and held his first solo exhibition, The Greatest Show On Earth, at Wanganui Community Arts Gallery last month.
UCOL staff facing possible redundancy are more concerned with their students' welfare than their own, according to NZ Tertiary Education Union branch president Tina Smith.
"They are great people, passionate about their work and their focus is on getting people through rather than their own situations."
Ms Smith said UCOL had worked hard with Wanganui District Council to sustain courses and student numbers.
"UCOL has lost almost $3.5 million or 11.51 per cent of government funding over the past two years while its payments to private providers has increased.
"Government policy is actively under-funding arts education and public education."
Ms Smith said the Wanganui community needed to lobby local MP Chester Borrows and the tertiary education minister to support public education and keep creative people in the community.
"We need to keep these people here because we are so lucky to have them."
UCOL has not announced any definite redundancies yet.
Spokesman Steve Sorsby said it was proposed to finish the fine arts, glass and fashion programmes when current students have completed their studies at the end of 2014 and end of 2015 academic years. The new UCOL bachelor of design and arts degree, planned for 2015, is aimed at reinvigorating the arts in Wanganui