March is a crucial month in Olympia, as the Legislature looks at a new revenue forecast on the 15th and then the House of Representatives releases its two-year budget plan about a week later.
This year, the signs are favorable for the state as a whole and for higher education in particular. The last revenue forecast projected a nearly $1.9 billion reserve going into 2007-09. Buoyed by these numbers, last December Gov. Chris Gregoire, ’69, ’71, released a $30 billion state budget plan that included an additional $500 million for higher education.
For the UW, her proposal increases the operating budget by $198 million and makes substantial inroads in closing the almost $4,000-per-student funding gap between the UW and its peers. By combining tuition revenue with state funding, the UW hopes to offer its faculty a 5 percent pay increase this year and in 2008, helping stem recruitment and retention problems.
Population experts say that 2009 will be a record year for graduating high school students. In preparation for this wave, Gregoire’s budget provides for 1,630 new enrollments at the UW. She recommends freezing tuition increases at no more than 7 percent annually. Instate, undergraduate tuition at the UW is currently $5,985.
The governor’s $144 million capital budget almost doubles current UW levels. It includes money for the reconstruction of Savery and Clark halls, the Playhouse Theater and the Magnuson Health Sciences Center H-Wing.
“We are very impressed with the governor’s budget for higher education and the University of Washington,” President Mark A. Emmert, ’75, said when it came out in December. “This bold budget, if adopted, ensures that Washington students will have access to a first-rate education at the UW”
Now it is the lawmakers’ turn. “Recognizing that both houses have their own priorities, we hope they embrace the spirit of the governor’s budget,” says Randy Hodgins, ’79, ’83, the UW director of state relations.
The state budget isn’t the only topic in Olympia affecting the UW. Lawmakers in Snohomish County want a local institution that grants four-year degrees. The Legislature could turn to the UW to help solve the problem, says Hodgins.
Other issues include the expansion of State Route 520 and the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, which could impact Husky Stadium and the UW Medical Center. There are also calls for the UW to extend its student conduct code to cover activities beyond the boundaries of the campus.