Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Regents to request more state funding

In a last-ditch effort to gain more funding from the state, the Arizona Board of Regents will lobby Gov. Jane Hull for an extended budget at today's regents meeting.

Regents will submit a letter to the governor at the first meeting of the year, requesting extra funds for "critical system-wide issues."

Board members stated in the letter that because of the biennial budgeting, the three Arizona universities - the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University - do not have enough time to predict financial needs.

"In effect, the three universities and the central office had to anticipate needs and priorities for a budget...nearly three years after the formal budget request was developed and submitted to the governor and Legislature," Carla Nunn, senior program coordinator for the board, stated in the letter.

The request breaks down into two main issues that universities consider critical - building renewal and faculty and staff salaries.

"We are just submitting requests hoping that the governor will have the money to approve them," said UA President Peter Likins.

The building renewal issue is important so that the universities can "maintain and extend the useful life of eligible facilities," the letter stated.

The budget for 1999 building renewal was $32 million, divided between the three universities. In 2000 and 2001, the schools only received $16.9 million - 23 percent of the calculated building renewal formula entitlement.

"There used to be a formula that was used to determine the amount of money needed to maintain the classrooms and facilities," Likins said. "We need to find out what happened."

The other topic that falls under the umbrella of state funding is faculty and staff salaries. In 2000 and 2001, a merit-based pay raise was approved for state employees by the Legislature that excluded employees of the universities, central office and the judiciary system.

"The universities and judiciary system didn't get any salary adjustment," Likins said. "We were singled out to be excluded."

"It would require tens of millions of dollars for Arizona universities to provide competitive salaries on a national level," he added.

Another issue that will be discussed is the federal mandate that all public and commercial television stations begin broadcasting on digital channels.

It is estimated that it will cost $6 million for the UA to convert from analog and it should cost $4.9 million for ASU. Regents have requested that each university receive $2.5 million in general fund appropriations from the state.

"Anything that we accomplish would just be a tiny adjustment in the budget," Likins said.