Legislature approves University of Alaska budget at $317 million
by Michelle Saport |
June 23, 2017
Dear UA Community--
Last night the Legislature approved the FY2018 operating budget for the state including $317 million unrestricted general funds (UGF) for the university. As a result, UA operations will not be interrupted.
This budget leaves an $11 million budget gap factoring in fixed cost increases and will require continued reductions and reallocations. We will work together to manage through this cut while investing strategically in growth.
As I shared with the Board of Regents yesterday, I am relieved because the cut could have been much worse and operations could have been interrupted if the Legislature hadn't passed a budget. But I am not pleased by this cut, the fourth in four years.
Next steps are to work on the capital budget, not yet finished by the Legislature, and to push hard on our top priorities: increasing our enrollment through recruiting and retention, strengthening workforce preparation, continuing to grow research, and streamlining and automating mission critical processes.
Thank you for all your advocacy this year and I ask you to join me as a proud ambassador of UA as you enjoy our beautiful Alaskan summer.
Jim Johnsen
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