A legislative committee has approved a bill that would increase the dollar amounts provided to students through Hathaway scholarships by 10 percent.
The full legislature will consider the proposal in February’s budget session.
The Joint Education Committee had asked its staff to draft a bill that would have increased the scholarships by about 19 percent, but lawmakers amended it down on Tuesday.
Laramie Senator Chris Rothfuss was among those who wanted to keep the proposed increase higher.
“When it was set up, the highest level of the Hathaway was really intended to cover the full cost of tuition at the University of Wyoming,” says Rothfuss. “It never really got there. It was about 91 percent in the beginning. Now we’re closer to around 60 to 65 percent of tuition and fees. So this legislation—similar to legislation we brought last year—is trying to close that gap again.”
Hathaway scholarships are funded through investment income on an endowment built by federal mineral royalties.
Most lawmakers said the original proposal would be too high to pass muster in the full legislature amid current state revenue concerns.
“We’re venturing into some uncharted waters for the next few years,” says Republican Senator Don Dockstader, of Afton. “That says to me—and what I saw on the Committee too, as we got to talk about it—slow down a little bit. Ten percent now. Let’s take a hard look at it. Let’s bring it back to the Senate and House floors, have some discussion on it. Let’s just move forward with a word of caution. We simply can’t be all things to all people.”
Hathaway scholarships are funded through investment income through an endowment built by federal mineral royalties.
Currently, top Hathaway scholarship earners receive about 69 percent of the total tuition and fees at UW.
