President Emmert appeared before the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee today to discuss the effect of proposed budget cuts on the University. The Committee asked all of the state four-year schools to model the likely impact of the Governor’s proposed budget, as well as a cut level fifty percent higher than that.
In his testimony, President Emmert noted that specific cuts will await a collaborative process at the University, but that clearly reductions will be significant and affect all parts of the institution. Administrative costs will bear a disproportionate share of the cuts, but at the levels proposed it will be impossible to avoid major reductions in academics and research.
In response to questions, President Emmert reaffirmed the UW’s commitment to the Husky Promise program, which provides free tuition and fees to state residents who are eligible for Pell Grants and state need grants. He also noted that a balance must be struck between access, quality, and the speed at which students are able to graduate. He also urged lawmakers to work with Universities to ensure that cuts are not “false economies” that look good in the short-run, but end up costing more later or causing unintended consequences.
We’ve posted a link to a presentation made by Senate Ways and Means Committee staff about the proposed budget reductions on the State Relations home page.
The Committee also heard from WSU today, and will be hearing from the state’s other four-year schools tomorrow at 3:30.