Annie Todd
atodd5@uwyo.edu
Governor Matt Mead has proposed no new additional cuts for the 2017-2018 state budget, meaning that there are no further proposed reductions for reductions at UW or other state agencies.
“Wyoming has prepared for times of reduced revenue and remains fiscally sound,” Mead said in a press release.
Mead has recommended $500,000 be allocated to UW’s Science Initiative, which would provide more research opportunities for undergraduate research.
Chad Baldwin, Associate Vice President of Institutional Communications, said he sees the proposal as helping UW in the long run.
“If the governor’s recommendation holds, it would be beneficial for UW and our students because no further reductions in programs and services would be required,” Baldwin said.
In addition, another $475,000 of supplemental expenditures have been proposed by Mead to recruit more students to UW.
Some faculty members see the lack of proposed cuts as a positive indicator for the future.
“I can’t speak precisely to his reasoning on that front, but I do get a sense that state revenue losses are beginning to level off,” Baldwin said.
Students are happy to see the governor’s plan for no proposed cuts. Chris Ryan, ASUW Director of Governmental Affairs, said that a lot of effort went into letting Mead know about how the cuts affected the university.
“Many people, including President Nichols, and the Board of Trustees have made it very clear that these cuts have been very harmful,” Ryan said. “ASUW passed Senate Resolution 2521, and attached more than 1000 signatures of students in support of it.”
Senate Resolution 2521 focuses on establishing a ceiling and floor on all reserves being funded by student fees and for transparency and accountability to University students by UW. It also states that ASUW recommends the Wyoming Legislature continue to support and invest in UW.
UW is not out of the budget cut forest yet. Baldwin said that UW will cut $10 million in the following fiscal year due to the reduced block grant. Students can expect to see another $19.3 M cut during the current fiscal year.
Members of ASUW understands how damaging the cuts have been to students and wish to continue their work making sure the cuts do not harm student success.
“We will continue to advocate for students at every opportunity,” Ryan said. “As the state economy picks up, ASUW will lobby hard for the return of these lost funds, faculty and staff pay raises and tuition increases to stop.”
