��������

Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard sent to the �������� community on Tuesday apprising them of the latest budget news:

Colleagues:

Last week, the Washington House shared its operating and capital budgets, and I shared  with you summarizing those proposals.  Today, the Senate presented its operating budget and so it is again time to provide an update on the status of Western`s budget prospects.

First, the same caveat I provided last week.  Budgets are complex and take days to understand.  Our initial take will be further refined in the days ahead.  Indeed, the table I referenced in last week`s message on the House proposal has been recently adjusted as we have come to better understand that budget and the myriad provisions throughout.

That having been said, we have updated so that you can track and compare four 2015-17 operating budget proposals: our original request, the Governor`s proposal, the House proposal, and now the Senate proposal.  (The Senate Capital Budget proposal is not yet out.)

The Senate proposal may be seriously problematic from Western`s perspective.  While reducing tuition, the funding to cover the reduction leaves Western short by $5.5M.  We are already working with Senate staff to seek a correction and they have acknowledged that an error was made and are working with us.  It must be corrected.  If not corrected, we would be forced to freeze hiring with the reductions in class sections and increased time to degree that would then ensue.

These are complicated matters and there are many other implications having to do with collective bargaining agreements and the like.  As you get into the details, do not hesitate to direct any questions you might have to our colleagues in Western`s Budget Office.  I will offer only these three observations.

First, we should be deeply appreciative of the leadership taken in both the House and the Senate, trusting the Senate will correct their miscalculation.  Both are working hard in as serious a budget crunch as this state has faced in decades, to protect Washington`s investment in higher education as the single most powerful lever the state has to build continually brighter futures for all.  They deserve our “thanks.”

And, what a turn around.  I think back to the earlier days when I first arrived in Washington and was then stunned to see that higher education was being viewed as part of the problem rather than as part of the solution.  This leads to my second point: we should find satisfaction and pride in this essential political turnaround.  We stayed together, on message, and through deeds as well as words, have effectively communicated our commitment to our vision: applying Western`s considerable strengths to meeting the critical needs of Washington.

The two legislative operating budget proposals differ markedly in how they balance, bottom line.  In a nutshell, the House would raise additional revenues; the Senate would reduce commitments in other areas. And that leads to my concluding point.

Please, please understand that proposals are only that. There is no guarantee that the final, “conference budget” will simply be some “halve the difference between the two” result for Western.  The final budget could be (and at times in the past has been) far more problematic for Western than were either of the two budget proposals going into the conference process.  That means our responsibility to stay together and fully engaged is, today, more important than ever.

Thank you for being there for Western,

Bruce