Governor's State Budget Proposal

Recently, Martha W. Byrd, Vice President of Operations, ASU Alumni Association, sent out a letter to the Sun Devil Advocates about the governor's state budget proposal.  At the March ASURA Board Meeting members decided that this information would be of interest to our members.  The following is a copy of that letter.  If you choose to contact your legislator by e-mail about this or any other issue, you should use a personal e-mail address and not your university e-mail address.

Dear Sun Devil Advocate:

As you may have heard, the governor’s state budget proposal is making its way through the Arizona Legislature. Gov. Doug Ducey pledged in his State of the State address to be a partner in strengthening higher education in Arizona. In a reversal of the trends of the past eight years, this budget contains a modest $8 million investment for higher education institutions in the state.

ASU has joined with the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) to present a proposed new funding model for state universities for FY2017. This model proposes that state funds be used to support the needs of Arizona residents who become students at ASU, NAU or the University of Arizona.

The university has prepared a helpful PDF document (attached to this email) that explains the funding requests we are making for FY 2017 and provides useful background information to provide context for the requests. Here are a few highlights from the document.

• The university is requesting a total of $32 million dollars – which includes the $8 million currently in the budget, plus $24 million that will provide support directly to returning Arizona resident students.
• This request focuses on delivering support directly to in-state ASU students – easing the financial burden for them and their families.
• After years of severe cuts to higher education in Arizona – totaling $463 million, the largest reductions on a percentage basis, of any state in the country – the state only provides 34 percent of the support for Arizona resident students. Over time, ASU would like to see this amount rise to 50 percent.

Take a look at the 2016 higher education investment model.  Take Action 

Thank you for all you do in support of higher education and ASU!  You are making a difference for current and future Sun Devils!

Martha W. Byrd

Vice President of Operations, ASU Alumni Association