July 29, 2002
UW regents approve budget request with no increase in enrollment
The Board of Regents of the University of Washington has approved a budget request for 2003-5 calling for no new programs, and new enrollments only if the state improves its core funding of the university.
“If and ONLY IF, significant progress is possible on state appropriated funding per student, will we be able to consider any incremental enrollment increases,” reads the document approved by the Board of Regents. The budget request will be forwarded to the state’s Office of Financial Management in September.
“Lagging support from the state is having noticeable effects on education at the University of Washington,” says UW President Richard L. McCormick. “Highly qualified students are being denied admission. Dozens of faculty positions will not be filled, which means that students will find it difficult to get the classes they need in order to graduate in a timely manner. In addition, as we struggle to attract and retain the best faculty, the quality of the university’s research could be threatened, with serious consequences for the future of the regional economy. The problems faced by the University of Washington have been highlighted by the recent state budget crisis, but the reality is that the university’s state funding has been eroding for the past decade.”
The document notes that in 1991, the UW was close to the average in funding per student of a group of 24 comparison institutions; the gap with the average was less than $200. However, by 2001, the gap had grown to $2,628 per student. While average funding at comparison institutions grew at 2.4 percent a year over the ten-year period, at the UW it grew just .3 percent a year. In constant dollars, state funding for students at the UW fell by 16 percent.
“Washington’s colleges and universities are in trouble,” the document states. “State support is dwindling, costs for students are rising, colleges and universities are forced to offer less for more, and there seems to be no relief in sight.”
The budget request focuses on recovering the competitive position of the UW in its core funding per student and on restoring its physical facilities. Fifteen buildings on the Seattle campus, totaling more than 800,000 gross square feet and housing more than 40 academic programs, are in need of total renovation.
The UW’s request calls for restoring student support to competitive levels over the next six years. This would require $60 million in the 2003-5 biennium and total funding increases of $184 million over three biennia. The capital request is for $150 million in the coming biennium and $461 million over the next six years.
Retention and recruitment of faculty will be the highest priority for use of additional core funding. “The number of faculty lost is accelerating,” according to the document. “It is essential that in the 2003-05 biennium we renew our progress toward competitive compensation to keep this faculty loss from a rapid and unmanageable acceleration.”
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