Interim Georgia Perimeter College president Rob Watts announced austere cuts, including laying off 185 workers, in an effort to reduce a potential $25 million shortfall.

While we hate to see the cuts, we respect the tough actions that needed to be taken. One of those actions will be to have some of the college's administrators filling in as teachers as needed. It's refreshing to see the school's leaders roll up their sleeves and take direct accountability for the education of our young people in a time of crisis.

How the cuts will affect our local GPC campus hasn't yet been determined, but this newspaper supports president Watts' efforts to ensure the survival of an institution that is vital to the future growth of Newton County and the state as a whole.

Our prayers will be with the college's 3,110 employees, and we hope that those who must lose their job are able to find another job quickly and perhaps even return to GPC in the years to come when the college returns to a more prosperous situation.