Lawmakers boost funding for university system
Published Thursday, April 17, 2008
JUNEAU — After a period of lackluster funding, the University of Alaska will have a chance to grow this year under the budget plan approved last week by state lawmakers.
Money in the state’s operating and capital budgets will allow the university to build a new health sciences facility in Anchorage, catch up on building maintenance and boost programming in the fields of health, engineering and fisheries science.
“Relative to our critical needs, it was a positive year,” Kate Ripley, the university’s director of public affairs, said Tuesday. “In fact, one of our better years.”
New programming
The operating budget increases state funding by 7 percent over last year’s amount and covers some new programming in addition to employee pay increases and fixed-cost increases.
The university system will get $7.7 million for program “enhancement and growth,” mostly in the fields of health, fisheries and engineering and construction management. It will get some new money for investment in engineering, transportation and energy research, but not for research in climate change and other fields.
The funding is about half of what the University of Alaska Board of Regents requested for new programming, but infinitely more than what the university received last year, when no money was put toward new programming, according to Ripley.
Overall, lawmakers approved $313 million in state funds, or slightly less than Gov. Sarah Palin’s request of $313.5 and significantly less than the regents’ request of $321 million, according to university figures. Most of the university’s operating budget is funded through other means, including tuition and private donations.
But lawmakers also changed how the money is appropriated. Instead of giving the university system a single appropriation, lawmakers split the money among the system’s main campuses.
Ripley said the university has received a single appropriation for the last 15 years and has relied on the flexibility the single appropriation offers. When the state was faced with a shortage of nurses, she said, the university was able to redirect funds into a nursing program. Now, internal reallocations won’t be possible.
The single appropriation was also a tool to insulate the management of the university system from politics, she added.
The House and the Senate both approved multiple appropriations, but the Senate version was ultimately accepted.
Sen. Joe Thomas, a Democrat from Fairbanks and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said Wednesday he agreed with the university’s position and had pushed for a single appropriation when the committee discussed the issue. He said the decision was likely made to protect against having money stripped away from various places.
Sen. Bert Stedman, a Republican from Sitka and chair of the Finance Subcommittee on university funding, could not be reached for comment.
New buildings
Lawmakers also left their mark on the regents’ request for new construction money.
The capital budget they approved includes nearly $50 million for deferred maintenance on existing facilities, which was the Regents’ No. 1 request. University officials say that much is needed just to keep up with what it calls “renewal and renovation” at its roughly 400 facilities around the state.
Lawmakers have approved an average of about $12 million a year over the last several years, and the backlog of maintenance items has grown to more than $700 million, according to university figures.
The budget doesn’t include anything for the Regents’ No. 2 request, a new biological sciences facility on the Fairbanks campus. The university had requested $66 million this year to begin construction.
But the budget completely funds the No. 3 request, a new, $46 million health sciences building in Anchorage, and provides $15 million to start work on a new sports arena, also in Anchorage. The university had only requested $1 million in planning money for the sports facility, which is expected to cost $100 million.
Overall, lawmakers appropriated $48 million for major maintenance projects and roughly $73 million for other capital projects.
Ripley said the university was excited to get the money for the health sciences building but disappointed not to get any money for the biological sciences facility, dubbed BIOS, which is expected to cost $113 million.
Palin has promised to scrutinize the entire capital budget and is expected to make some cuts.
Ripley said the university would look for new ways to win support for BIOS and keep pushing next year to secure funding.
“The need is still there,” she said.
Money for new programming includes:
• $2.3 million for health programs
• $2.1 million for engineering and construction management
• $1 million for fisheries
• $808,600 for various “student success” initiatives
• $500,000 for research investment in engineering, transportation, and energy
Construction and maintenance money for the Fairbanks campus and Tanana Valley Campus includes:
• $19.6 million for UAF and TVC capital renewal and renovation
• $4 million for TVC
For more news from the capital, visit www.newsminer.com/weblogs and look for Capital Focus.
Community Discussion
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The royal empire of the U of A ..... when are they going to get into the education business .... another novel idea!
Why do you say that James? Yes, I'm biased because I was educated at UAF, but I am still very curious why you think the institution is not in "the education business".
It may be because there are many other programs than the two that were granted money to expand. I am also educated at UAF and have seen the lack of importance put on the degree programs except for two, maybe three programs. Don't even get me started on where the money will probably go that was awarded to pay employees because I think we all know where that will go: to all the people that don't need it
Funny, redsblues... The money was awarded to pay the employees, and you think it will go to "all the people that don't need it"?
Are you saying that the employees don't need it? [Because the employee raises at the U haven't even begun to keep up with inflation, so I'd say they probably do need it.]
Or, are you saying the money to pay the employees will be spent on something other than the employees?
Just curious.
[I'd also like for James to explain his statements...]
I am thrilled that the legislature has funded the deferred maintenance. It's been underfunded for years, and UAF in particular has lots of older, deteriorating buildings. There's such a huge outcry when new buildings are requested, but no one supports maintenance, which in the long run is a cheaper way to have safe, efficient buildings.
WHERE IS THE BIOS BUILDING?
"The single appropriation was also a tool to insulate management of the university system from politics,..."
Micro management of the university system, is no different than micro management of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp or the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. Political interference can be a dangerous tool in the hands of 'special interest' politicians.
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