Budget update: Nov. 13
November 13, 2019
— by Dan White, chancellor
During its meeting in Fairbanks last Friday, the Board of Regents (BOR) approved UA’s
FY2021 budget request for submission to the Governor. As agreed to under the compact,
this budget includes a $25 million reduction to UA’s state general fund support for
next year. The Governor will consider this budget request and it will likely inform
the budget he submits to the Legislature for their session starting in January 2020.
At that point, the Legislature may consider changes before passing a final version
back to the Governor for his signature or veto.
Chancellor Sandeen from UAA and I presented to the BOR our plans for moving forward
with athletics programs for the 2020/2021 academic year, and I confirmed that we will
be continuing athletics according to a new strategic and financial plan. In addition
to its strong focus on supporting student-athletes and community engagement, the new
strategic plan identifies a financial strategy that shifts from general fund support
to private giving. My thanks to the student-athletes who attended the BOR meeting,
and to Nanook Volleyball’s outside hitter and Chemistry major Lahra Weber who joined
me for my presentation. Setter and Civil Engineering major Cate Whiting also provided
public testimony at the meeting. Thank you both. I also thank Vice Chancellor Keith
Champagne and Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director Terlynn Olds for their
work in developing a new financial strategy for athletics.
In addition to the FY21 budget request, the BOR also heard a proposal for a 5 percent
across-the-board tuition increase, as well as testimony from student governance with
questions about the reasoning behind that number. ASUAF President Bernard Aoto and
Vice President Daniel Vaziri shared thoughtful feedback that clearly resonated with
the board. It was clear that more work needed to be done in this area, and the BOR
postponed their decision on tuition rates until January to allow for a more thorough
approach. At UAF, we will continue the discussion first with ASUAF leadership next
week, and then in an open tuition forum Tuesday, Dec. 3, from 1-2 p.m.
I have shared a broad outline of how UAF could approach meeting our share of the anticipated
FY21 reduction, and will be discussing our options and hearing your thoughts on specifics
at the budget forum on November 21. I will begin the forum with a presentation covering the FY20 budget, FY21 expectations,
updates on reducing our facilities footprint, one-time actions, academic and administrative
program reviews, shared services, and vertical and horizontal reductions, and then
the Vice Chancellors and I will take your questions and listen to your feedback. The
one-hour forum is intended to be the start of a conversation on budget and is not
intended to be the one chance to give feedback or ask questions.
As always, thank you for choosing UAF!