UMaine asks for a boost in state funding
The University of Maine Board of Trustees today voted to ask for a 4.5% annual increase in state appropriations as part of its next two-year budget.
The university's two-year budget plan is based on the university system's self-imposed $19.1 million reduction in system-wide operating costs, as well as a tuition increase that university officials hope to keep below six percent, according to a press release from the system. The state's current appropriation to the university system is $186 million, 36% of the system's total unrestricted operation budget, which excludes grants, contracts and other dedicated funds.
In its two-year budget request, the university system is seeking an $8.5 million increase in fiscal year 2010 and an additional $8.7 million in fiscal year 2011. The size of the university's final appropriation will influence the exact size and percentage of the 2009-2010 academic year tuition rates and fees.
The trustees also voted to request a two-year, $3 million increase in the Maine Economic Improvement Fund, a state-university partnership which provides matching funds to help leverage federal grants and contracts to support university-based research. Currently, MEIF receives $14.7 million annually from the state.
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