April 18, 2002
UW working on damage control budget
The University will be trying to forge a budget plan during the next several weeks that inflicts the least amount of damage.
Even if the state hadn’t cut $26 million from the UW, adequately budgeting for all campus needs would have been a challenge. Officials estimate about $47 million in immediate needs just to begin the process of protecting the UW’s competitive excellence. To make those high-priority investments and patch the holes left because of the state’s financial crisis would require about a 10 percent cut in expenditures.
“That’s not acceptable,” said Harlan Patterson, vice provost for planning and budgeting. “Something in the area of 5 percent, however, might be required.”
The final decision rests with the Board of Regents and is likely to come during their May 17 meeting. But before that the University community will have the opportunity to join in the process. A discussion on how best to absorb the state cuts has been planned for Wednesday, April 24 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in 210 Kane. The Bothell and Tacoma campuses will join the event via videoconference.
One likely topic is which investments will be made and what will be the consequences of making those investments. In an ideal world, officials would spend $20 million, for example, to upgrade facilities that Patterson says are “becoming dysfunctional.” But perhaps equally compelling is the $8 million officials would like to spend this year to improve faculty and staff compensation.
Other potential investments University officials will have to consider in drafting the 2002–03 fiscal year budget, which begins July 1, include:
- $3 million in additional funding for student financial aid;
- $7 million for a variety of new equipment, for University Libraries, and for campus security;
- $1 million for research support at Grant and Contract Services, Grant and Contract Accounting, Environmental Health and Safety, and at the libraries; and
- $8 million to upgrade the campus technology infrastructure including application servers that support e-mail, the modem pool and more;
Making all of those investments is extremely unlikely. And that, President Richard L. McCormick says, is why it’s important to involve the UW community in the discussion.
“The budget and tuition choices we face for 2003 and for the years ahead are sufficiently serious to warrant discussion and deliberation by the entire campus community,” he said.
McCormick is co-hosting Wednesday’s meeting with Provost Lee Huntsman, who issued a hiring freeze in February in anticipation of the current budget situation. The campus leaders will be joined by Patterson and other budget writers at the all-campus discussion. There will be an opportunity at the end of the session to put questions to a panel that includes Patterson, Faculty Senate Chair Brad Holt, Vice Chair Sandy Silberstein, and Director of Government Relations Dick Thompson.
“Everyone in the UW community is welcome to attend, to learn as much as they want to know about the budget choices we face, and to voice their views,” McCormick said. “I hope as many members of the University community as possible will participate in this meeting.”
The Board of Regents is also planning a series of events in connection with the budget process. The Regents will meet as a Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, April 23, to discuss the fiscal year 2003 budget, tuition and financial aid. The Committee of the Whole will meet again on April 29 to receive the draft budget, and on May 6 for continued discussion of the budget. Those meetings lead up to the May 17 meeting when the Regents are expected to approve a final budget.
More information about the UW budgeting process is available online at http://www.washington.edu/admin/pb/home/bgtprocess.htm. For more information or to ask questions, send e-mail to uwbudget @u.washington.edu.
- Tuesday, April 23
The Board of Regents will hold a special meeting as the Committee of the Whole to discuss the fiscal year 2003 budget, tuition and financial aid; 5–7 p.m., 142 Gerberding.
- Wednesday, April 24
An all-campus budget discussion will be hosted by President Richard L. McCormick and Provost Lee Huntsman; 4:30–6:30 p.m., 210 Kane.
- Monday, April 29
The Board of Regents will hold a special meeting as the Committee of the Whole to receive the draft budget for fiscal year 2003; 2–6 p.m., Regents Room, 301 Gerberding.
- Friday, May 17
The Board of Regents is expected to approve the fiscal year 2003 budget; 2:30 p.m., Walker-Ames Room, Kane.
