Office of Planning & Budgeting

Higher Ed News


April 6, 2011

Quest for Greater Autonomy for Public Higher Ed Continues

As state legislative season wears on, here is an update on some of the efforts in other states to achieve greater financial and regulatory freedom for public higher education institutions facing another year of steep budget cuts. Virginia: The legislature passed the Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011. For details on the major aims…


March 21, 2011

Administrator Pay Flat at Public Institutions

CUPA-HR salary survey data, analyzed by Inside Higher Education, shows that, similar to faculty members, median pay for senior and mid-level administrators at public institutions of higher education was flat in 2010. At private institutions, members of all three categories showed modest gains of between 1 and 2 percent, contributing to a growing gap between…


Report Confirms Deep Cuts to Higher Ed Across US

The SHEEO State Higher Education Finance report for FY 2010 was released last week. Unsurprisingly, it confirms that the same general pattern in Washington of deep state cuts to higher education funding coupled with steep tuition increases is being replicated in states across the US. Report Highlights: National Trends Nationally, on average, state support for…


March 17, 2011

Chronicle Corrects UW Data

Were you surprised to learn in the Chronicle of Higher Education this week that, in 2008, the UW received over $19,500 in state appropriations per student, the second highest rate in the country? Well, so were we! Office of Planning Budgeting staff worked with the Chronicle to clarify that they were not reporting state appropriations…


March 11, 2011

State Budget Updates

OPB published a new brief yesterday discussing expectations for the upcoming Washington State revenue and caseload/entitlement forecasts, and how both are likely to affect UW state funding levels. **EDITED TO ADD: Note that after we released this information, the new caseload forecast was released and lowered the expected growth of caseloads for K-12, Medicaid, and…


March 9, 2011

More on the Public/Private University Resource Gap

Two higher education news stories leapt out at us this morning as emblematic: Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announced 50 percent state funding cuts for four-year public institutions. The largest institution, Penn State, would see its state subsidy reduced from $465 million per year to $233 million. The University describes the proposed cuts as devastating:  “A…


March 7, 2011

Public/Private Faculty Salary Gap Widens

New CUPA-HR faculty salary survey results released today show that faculty at public institutions of higher education, on average, received no salary increase for the second year in a row, while salaries for faculty at private institutions increased, on average, by about 2 percent (compared to also being stagnant last year). This trend is particularly…


March 4, 2011

State Budget Pressures Continue to Mount

Here are a few interesting and updated resources on the current budget pressures being faced by states across the US: This CNN chart shows, by state, projected deficits for FY 2012, ruling political parties, number of public employees, and whether most public employees have bargaining rights. This NASBO document is continuously updated and contains compiled…


March 3, 2011

GAO Details How For-Profit Colleges Exploit Veterans

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report and recommendations, DOD Education Benefits: Increased Oversight of Tuition Assistance Program is Needed, ahead of another Senate hearing focused on the conduct of for-profit colleges, this time held by Senator Tom Carper. The GAO report focused on the DOD Military Tuition Assistance Program, which provides tuition benefits…


March 2, 2011

Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Research Patent Case

On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Stanford University v. Roche Molecular Systems et al.. At issue is whether the Supreme Court will agree with the argument made by research institutions to expand the current interpretation of what is known as the Bayh-Dole Act (1980’s University and Small Business Patent Procedures Act), which…



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