I am writing to provide you with an update on the 2010 legislative session.
Without a doubt, this is shaping up as one of the most difficult and demanding sessions Washington State University and the state of Washington have faced in generations. Governor Christine Gregoire has advanced an appropriately aggressive agenda for our state given the financial realities of this unrelenting recession.
I attended her recent State of the State address and remain encouraged by her commitment to higher education. However, she needs all of our support and assistance in preserving the quality of higher education in our state given a projected $2.6 billion deficit. I urge you to view her entire speech through a link at the governor’s website www.governor.wa.gov.
For our university, the following are the most significant priorities:
- Preserve the core of our state-appropriated budget. Last year, we experienced a 21 percent reduction in our state appropriated budget. After the federal stimulus funds were added and a 14 percent tuition increase authorized, the overall reduction still was over 10 percent or $54 million. Under the currently proposed budget under consideration by the legislature, we have been asked to prepare for another 6 percent
reduction or $13.5 million. It is impossible to maintain the quality of a WSU education with these types of cuts and we simply cannot rely on tuition to fill the gap.
- Restore the State Need Grant program. In the difficult budgetary environment, the governor reluctantly recommended significant cuts in this vital program. Access, quality, and affordability have always been core values of WSU and we should never deviate from this moral and educational imperative. For 2009–2010, we have delivered approximately $26 million to 4,900 students in State Need Grants. The governor’s first proposal called for a major cut in both the number of students who would qualify and a reduction in award amounts. If this happens, we’d see approximately a 40 percent reduction in total grants and a 30 percent reduction in recipients.
- Allow flexibility in setting tuition. The governor has expressed her support of this concept. There are four different bills dealing with tuition-setting authority before the legislature. WSU supports SB 6562. I have written on this matter in my most recent Perspectives column. You can read it at president.wsu.edu/perspectives. Allowing the Board of Regents to set tuition levels is consistent with our belief in shared university governance by giving our students an active and meaningful voice in determining tuition levels.
These are vital issues that will require a sharp focus during the days of this short legislative session. While I fully understand the difficult task facing our state leaders in the face of this budgetary shortfall, I can assure you that WSU’s leaders will be tireless advocates for adequate funding for higher education and for the role that our university can and must play in rebuilding our state.
It is important for you to know of these priorities.
Sincerely,
Elson S. Floyd, Ph.D.
President
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