Budget deadlock breaks in favor of higher ed

State funds will allow 3 1/2 percent salary increases for faculty and
staff members

By Melissa Mitchell

Good things sometimes do indeed come to those who wait. At least that's the
case for UI faculty and staff members and other state government workers
who waited anxiously while the Illinois General Assembly went into an
overtime session in Springfield before reaching a state budget agreement
for FY 1995.

When the deals were done and the compromises reached, one of the clear
winners was higher education. For the first time in several years,
legislators approved a plan to increase funding for higher education that
not only met, but surpassed, the original recommendation made by the
Illinois Board of Higher Education and endorsed by Gov. Jim Edgar.

Of the $2.4 billion earmarked by the General Assembly for higher education,
$745 million was appropriated to the UI according to Stephen Rugg, UI vice
president for planning and budgeting. Rugg said the Urbana campus' share of
the total appropriation is about $350 million, which represents an
increment of $15.2 million over last year's operating budget.

"We had a good budget year," Rugg said, noting that "for the first time in
several years, [the state appropriation] provided a good salary program
with some additional internal actions which both campuses have been
planning on but have not been able to do since the tax increase in FY
1990." 

Rugg said he isn't sure if this year's emphasis on education was indicative
of a permanent shift in priorities among members of the General Assembly.
But, he said: "We can be encouraged that when, in the final days, the
global allocations were considered, education was a priority, and when it
came to the fine-tuning, funding for higher education was addressed. We
also ought to be encouraged that the rank-and-file legislators and
legislative leaders were interested in higher education."

As a result of this year's budget boost, Rugg said funds will be available
for a significant salary increase this year for UI employees. "We're
looking at a salary increment of 3 1/2 percent funded by the state, and as
units look at prospects for adding to that for merit, market and equity,
salary increases may be higher," he said. Rugg added that this year's state
appropriation to the UI will result in the first major increase at or above
the inflationary level since the FY 90 tax-increase year."

This year's budget also will "enable us for the first time in a while to
pay some major attention to academic program areas," such as undergraduate
education and the freshman-year Discovery program, and "will allow every
effort to respond to student demands." For example, he said, "we'll get
back some sections we may have lost and will be able to address the problem
of exceedingly large courses."

Walt Tousey, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the
removal of the differential tuition structure this year will yield
increased funds that will be directed at three major areas. "The new funds
will be used for undergraduate education and to increase the contact
between students and faculty members and graduate students. Another
supplemental allocation, based on increased enrollment, will go mostly to
programs in Commerce and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences."

Tousey added that the Urbana campus's FY 95 budget includes $700,000 for
operation and maintenance expenses in new areas. Of that, about $520,000
was added by the state, with the remainder realized through internal
reallocation. Some of the funding for a major $2 million-per-year classroom
remodeling program - which involves adding new instructional and technical
equipment - will come from that budget, Tousey said.