The doors to our state's universities are slamming shut. Shut by devastating budget cuts.

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Threats to Washington’s Public Universities and Colleges

Listen to our radio ad and then read more to find out what you can do to stop these devestating budget cuts.

The value of our four-year higher education institutions

Washington state has one of the finest regional comprehensive universities in the country, educating 32,000 students from all over the state. Our universities are among the best educational investments for both the state and our students.

The University of Washington is a major contributor to the local economy. In addition to contributing to our economy, UW produces world-class research and brings millions of dollars each year in research grants to the state. The Higher Education Coordinating Board estimates that research funding enabled the University of Washington alone to generate 32,000 jobs statewide in fiscal year 2008.

Impacts of 2009 budget cuts
Last year, state appropriations to Washington’s universities were cut by $400 million, or 23 percent – some of the deepest cuts in state budget reductions. This brings state support for our higher education institutions at or below 50 percent. Further cuts will make college even less accessible than it already is and will further compromise quality. For example, the loss of teaching assistants in the foreign language departments has meant that there aren't enough classes and some programs have had to cut their foreign language degree requirements. The elimination of instructional support centers means that there are fewer resources for students to thrive even in core classes; this especially affects first-generation and underrepresented students.

In addition to funding reductions, tuition increased about 14 percent per year for resident undergraduates so that by the 2010-2011 school year they will pay 28 percent more than they did during the 2008-09 academic year -- shifting the burden of the cost of education to students.

To deal with the budget cuts , nearly 1,550 positions will be eliminated, including 743 already-filled administration, faculty, teaching and research assistant positions.


What we stand to lose in 2010

The governor’s proposed supplemental budget will cut another $46 million from the four-year higher education operating budget to cover the $2.6 billion deficit. Students especially will lose out. The number of students applying for financial aid has increased by more than 30 percent in the last two years, yet over 12,000 lower income students will be cut off the state’s Need Grant, with payment to the remaining students reduced by nearly 50 percent. This equates to a loss of over $146 million in state general funds. Here are the funding cuts for each four-year university:

• University of Washington: $20.9 million
• Central Washington University: $3 million
• Washington State University: $13.5 million
• Western Washington University: $3.8 million
• Eastern Washington: $3.1 million
• The Evergreen State College: $1.6 million

Fewer course offerings, larger class sizes, less hands-on time with professors, and weaker degree requirements will affect student learning and the value of degrees from 4-year universities. As costs go up and financial aid goes down, lower income residents will be shut out of a quality education, students who do attend will have less rigorous instruction and higher debt burden, and employers will start to look elsewhere for well-qualified workers.


There is a bold solution

Washington citizens cannot afford further regression of state support for our higher education system. Legislators in Olympia should take a more responsible approach to the recession by:

• Protecting our economic future. Cutting higher education undermines our economic recovery and future economic prosperity. Like other areas of government, funding for higher education should increase when caseload (enrollment) increases. Financial aid and college recruitment programs that create a culture of participation of underrepresented populations are crucial components to meeting the future demands of employers in Washington state. Faculty and academic student employee positions must be funded to enable universities to carry out their teaching and research missions and strengthen the foundation for job growth in fields such as technology, health care, energy, and transportation.

• Adopt a balanced approach. Our state elected officials need to take a stand and make the tough decisions to preserve access and excellence in public education. This means identifying new sources of revenue rather than tuition hikes, closing tax loopholes, and reforming our tax system to protect education in both the short and the long term.

Listen to the radio ad and make a call today.
Call 1-800-562-6000 and tell your legislators we need to keep the doors to our universities open.  We need to raise revenue. We need to close tax loopholes and restore funding to higher education.