Napolitano says she may support a tuition hike

All three state universities will be safe from further budget cuts, according to a budget proposal announced by Gov. Janet Napolitano yesterday.

The announcement comes only a day after President Pete Likins and Provost George Davis announced possible plans to cut 16 departments on campus.

"We would like to think that there's a broad understanding that the university has been cut so deeply, that deeper cuts are so harmful to the students that we are serving," Davis said.

She said she recognized the crisis already affecting all three universities and said she does not support the cuts.

"I said from the outset that I was not in favor of across-the-board cuts, particularly at the university level. We've had enough of those already,'' Napolitano told the Arizona Daily Sun. "The options presented to me were eliminating this program at this university or this program or that program. I came up with a budget that doesn't eliminate any of them."

Despite the plan to protect universities from more cuts, Napolitano, who as governor sits on the Arizona Board of Regents, said she supports the concept behind proposed tuition increases that may take effect next fall.

Formal proposals have not been unveiled for consideration by the regents, but an increase of $1,000 for the 2003-2004 school year has been discussed.

The proposed budgets would allow the universities to keep the additional tuition revenue to build on the state funding.

Additionally, 10 ÷ 15 percent of the increase would be set aside for students who otherwise could not afford it.

"We're grateful, and we want to toss around details tomorrow. We want to work toward that objective of no new cuts," said Gregory Fahey, associate vice president of government relations.

Arizona's tuition costs are among the lowest in the country, and Napolitano said that directly affects the type of education its universities are able to provide.

"So the regents' thought was to move Arizona universities to the top of the bottom third of the states, which this $1,000 will basically do and keep us at that level as we go forward," she said.

Many of UA's top administrators are optimistic about the governor's budget proposal and the impact it will have on the university.