New State Budget Boosts Enrollments, Supports Core Funding

from April 28 and May 5 University Week

by Bob Roseth

The Washington State Legislature passed a budget April 24 for higher education that was a compromise between versions passed by the House and the Senate.

Among the provisions:

• Creation of the Education Legacy Trust Fund with revenue supplied by the restored estate tax;
• New enrollments of 360 students in Seattle, 325 in Tacoma and 275 in Bothell, including funds for lower division enrollments in fall 2006;
• An increase in resident undergraduate tuition of up to 7 percent each year;
• Appropriations for the Tacoma Autism Center, a Korean studies endowment, the Burke Museum, Harry Bridges Labor Center research and the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences.

State appropriations for the 2005­07 budget total $704 million. Tuition revenues are anticipated to raise $438 million. This brings the total core education resources for the University to $1.142 billion in 2005-07 - an increase of 10 percent over the current budget period.

Faculty and staff will see an average 3.2 percent cost-of-living raise in 2005 and a 1.6 percent average raise in 2006.

However, the budget also contained a "non-instruction" cut of $2.5 million and a tuition increase "offset" of $4.4 million.

Reacting to the favorable numbers, President Mark Emmert, '75, said, "This higher education operating budget is a good step in the right direction. The improvements in per student funding, expanded access and financial aid will serve the state's citizens well.

"The establishment of the Education Legacy Trust Fund, dedicated to the education needs of our state's citizens, is a landmark development, one which I believe future generations will look back upon as being a significant event in the funding of education in our state. I look forward to continuing to work with the governor and the Legislature on critical research and capital budget priorities for the University. However, for the first time in several years, we can look to a future where we should not lose ground on the competition.

"By adding almost 8,000 new enrollment spaces, the Legislature sent a clear message that creating opportunities for our young people to earn a bachelor's degree is an important investment for our state to make in its future. Also, evolving our two upper-division campuses at Tacoma and Bothell into four-year institutions will make it possible for more students to earn a bachelor's degree from the UW, increasing significantly the role these two campuses will play in meeting future higher-education needs in our state."

The UW received about half of what it requested in the capital budget, which was about the same success rate as the other four-year institutions. Seattle campus restoration phase 2 projects, which include renovation of Guggenheim, Architecture and Health Sciences H-Wing, as well as design funds for renovation of Savery and Clark halls and the Playhouse, were all in the final capital budget.

UW Tacoma received funding for its new assembly hall but was denied money for additional land acquisition. UW Bothell finally received funding for a freeway off-ramp that will reach the south part of campus. The money, proposed by Rep. Mark Ericks, was added to the state transportation budget in the waning days of the session.

The capital budget provided little money for "minor works," such as campus deferred maintenance; and a $20-million request for enhanced computing infrastructure was denied.

More information:

• Seattle Times: "College enrollments get big budget boost"
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Colleges pleased with gains in budget"