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UW Gets State Funding For Big Projects, But Faces Cuts

UW

The University of Wyoming received funding for some major initiatives in the recently approved state budget, but administrators say cuts to UW’s block grant will put a strain on existing programs.

Lawmakers cut that funding by about $5.8 million for 2017 and 2018, and did not approve funding for UW employee pay raises.

“The University was treated very fairly by the legislature, given the very difficult circumstances in terms of state revenue projections,” says vice president for governmental affairs Chris Boswell. “A lot of money was appropriated towards UW, in particular for construction projects.”

Lawmakers allocated $100 million for construction of the science initiative facility, and $14.5 million more to build a new engineering building, which is expected to cost about $105 million dollars.

UW’s requests for information/technology and operations and maintenance were either denied or severely reduced. And the University only got a fourth of what it requested for development of a $20-million accounting and payroll system.

“It’s a mixed bag, coming out of the Legislature—some very robust appropriations, and some very significant needs that the University is going to be asked to shoulder on our own,” says Boswell. “There’s just no doubt whatsoever that the academic enterprise will be effected by these budget cuts.”

Boswell says UW is bracing for further funding reductions in the coming years. 

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