{"id":386980,"date":"2023-03-10T06:06:43","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T20:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=386980"},"modified":"2023-03-10T06:06:43","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T20:06:43","slug":"uogs-42m-budget-request-hopes-to-reverse-years-of-decreased-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/uogs-42m-budget-request-hopes-to-reverse-years-of-decreased-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"UOG\u2019s $42M budget request hopes to reverse years of decreased funding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The University of Guam campus in Mangilao is seen from the air. (UNIVERSITY OF GUAM )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Guam has submitted its fiscal year 2024 budget request of $42 million for general operations, which includes student support services, personnel, facilities maintenance, and utilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are asking for what we need to stabilize the university,\u201d said UOG president Thomas W. Krise. \u201cWith $42 million, we can recover from past funding shortfalls in critical areas of our operations, demonstrate to our accrediting bodies that the government of Guam supports UOG and its mission, and prove to our students that their success is worth our government\u2019s investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2018, UOG has experienced a continued decrease in GovGuam funding for its operations. In fiscal year 2018, the Legislature appropriated $30.7 million. Five years later, in fiscal year 2023, the amount decreased to $23.6 million\u2014UOG\u2019s lowest in over 20 years. Appropriations from the Legislature have decreased 23% between 2018 and 2023. Adjusted for inflation, the decrease is closer to 35%.<\/p>\n

REQUEST VS. APPROPRIATION<\/p>\n

FY2018 \u2014 FY2023<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FY2023 represents UOG\u2019s lowest appropriation in over 20 years<\/p>\n

UOG survived FY20-21 due to the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund<\/p>\n

No tuition increases<\/strong><\/p>\n

The university is not planning to increase tuition this fiscal year provided it receives the full appropriation of $42 million. Funding UOG at the requested level means the university won\u2019t have to place an additional financial burden on students who, along with their families, are already coping with the higher cost of food, housing, and other basic needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Student Government Association has been working with UOG administration on keeping tuition costs the same for next year,\u201d said SGA president Kyona Rivera. \u201cWe have assurances from UOG, but it\u2019s up to our senators to adequately fund our university.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing personnel concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n

A full appropriation in fiscal year 2024 will empower the university to address lingering personnel concerns, including an outdated faculty pay scale and the deferred hiring of critical employees.<\/p>\n

The budget request includes funding that will help UOG update its faculty salary scale, which is over 10 years old. Recent pay increases for GDOE personnel have further put pressure on updating our faculty pay scale. For example, with both at Step 1 of their respective scales, an assistant professor earns $13,000 less than a GDOE teacher VI\u2014and both positions require terminal degrees. Funding for an updated faculty pay scale will help UOG address other issues with the recruitment and retention of faculty.<\/p>\n

Over the last five years, deferred hiring due to budget shortfalls has led to 77 critical vacancies in high areas of need, including faculty, student services, and facilities maintenance. The budget request includes the funding necessary to fill these positions, which will stabilize and improve UOG services and programs to benefit its students.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are missing key personnel, including faculty and support staff in many of our degree programs,\u201d said Krise. \u201cThis means that our students often can\u2019t get into the classes they need or the advisement they need, delaying degree completion and affecting our ability to retain students.\u201d<\/p>\n

The $42-million request also includes funding for a staff pay increase, which will be needed should Bill 24-37 become public law.<\/p>\n

Accreditation and \u201cmaintenance of effort\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the first time in its history, the university has had an uninterrupted 16 years of accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission. It received an eight-year term in 2009, which was renewed with commendations in 2016. The current term will end next year. The u.\u0192rniversity is undergoing its accreditation review process and may be at risk for a period lower than eight years due to its decreased funding over the last five years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a focus on how a state government supports public higher education,\u201d said senior vice president and provost Anita Borja Enriquez. \u201cThe term is \u2018maintenance of effort,\u2019 and in the case of UOG, continual decreases in annual funding cause concern for accreditors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enriquez, who also serves as a WASC liaison and a member of accreditation review committees for other institutions, added that though UOG has been able to launch new programs such as a bachelor\u2019s degree in civil engineering, and has improved student support services in advisement and counseling, a lack of operational funding limits what these programs can do and how much they can grow.<\/p>\n

\u2018Investing in UOG makes economic sense\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

GovGuam funding support for UOG ripples through the entire island community. According to an economic impact study conducted by the university in 2020, for every $1 it receives in general operations funding from GovGuam, UOG generates $3 in additional tax revenue for the government. The study also noted that UOG contributes $1 of every $17 in Guam\u2019s economy. The study is available online: https:\/\/www.uog.edu\/economic-impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cInvesting in UOG makes economic sense,\u201d said Krise. \u201cI can\u2019t think of any other university in the country or region that matters more to its community, to an economy, to a professional workforce, to the preservation and transmission of culture and language, than the University of Guam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Krise said $42 million next fiscal year is needed to stabilize operations and provide students with services and programs to help them succeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur faculty, staff, administrators, and our students have done everything we can to ensure our yniversity survives\u2014we need GovGuam to invest in our students,\u201d added Krise. \u201cOur students deserve better\u2014they deserve our best.\u201d (UOG)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Guam has submitted its fiscal year 2024 budget request of $42 million…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":386982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[445],"class_list":["post-386980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-uog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}