UW, WSU to make joint budget pitch

For the first time, the UW and WSU are making a combined pitch to the state legislature, hoping teamwork is what is needed to give higher education funding a much-needed increase.

The universities will still have independent budgets, but the high-level presentation will be orchestrated as a joint request, said Randy Hodgins, UW director of state relations.

The universities proposed the budget as a way to draw more attention to the unmet financial needs both institutions are facing.

"This is really kind of the natural evolution of a partnership that developed a couple of years ago with the first joint regents meeting," said Hodgins. "We haven't combined the two, but the things we want from the state are similar. We are taking the influence of both schools and raising concern about the funding predicament."

Both schools are dealing with less per-student funding, state funding combined with student tuition, than other comparable universities in the nation.

"When you look at the funding that UW and WSU get ... over the last 10 years we have seen a dramatic decline in what we get to run our schools," said Hodgins. "Our per-student funding is significantly falling behind our peer institutions. We are hoping to draw attention to that problem."

The lack of funding is forcing the universities to face the possibility of lower quality education.

"If more funding isn't secured for education ... the quality of education will go down at the University," said student regent Alex Bolton.

The lack of funding directly affects the universities' ability to recruit and retain faculty, to hire more faculty, offer technological upgrades, and will cause other problems, which in the long run will jeopardize the quality of education at the UW, said Hodgins.

The joint budget is also designed to call attention to the importance of research institutions to the state.

"Together we can make the case for how important research universities are in the state," said Bolton.

By completing research, the UW provides a valuable service to Washington state.

"The ways we contribute to the economy and to citizens is important to maintain," said Hodgins.

He believes the new way of presenting the budget will gain the universities more attention than they could receive individually.

"Because it's unique and new, I am optimistic we will get more attention than we would have gotten as independent institutions," said Hodgins.