LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES UT Austin Is Committed to Excellence in Education, Research, and Public Service, As the Country Faces the COVID-19 Pandemic
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2021 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES UT Austin is committed to excellence in education, research, and public service, as the country faces the COVID-19 pandemic. CALL TO ACTION Texas legislators have a difficult task this session when it comes to bal- ancing the state budget for the next biennium. UT Austin has been tremen- dously affected by the current crisis, but has continued innovating education and actively contributing to the state’s recovery. During the 87th Legislative Session, it is going to take all of our alumni doing their part to share with state legislators the ways that UT Austin is a critical component of our state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The university needs alumni to move the needle in a positive direction for higher education. Emailing, calling, and visiting your representative will help maintain and strengthen support for the university during this critical time for higher education. T Austin responded quickly when the pandemic hit in March, transitioned to online learning models and HERE’S WHAT TO DO continued educating students with necessary skills. On Become a UT Advocate at texasexes.org/advocate or by texting campus, researchers created the first 3D atomic scale 1 LONGHORNS to 52886 and protect the university with fellow Umap of the spike protein, allowing scientists to see the viability of alumni this coming legislative session. vaccine candidates. Longhorns, state investment in UT Austin is an investment in re- 2 Attend the virtual Orange & Maroon Legislative Day on building Texas. Maintaining funding for higher education is critical February 17 2021. Go to TexasExes.org/LegeSession to learn more. for a faster and more efficient economic recovery. 3 Tune in to #UTChangedMyWorld to see real-time examples of the With the highest four-year graduation rate in Texas among public university’s positive contributions to the state and nation. institutions, UT Austin is graduating students to be adaptive edu- Learn using the priorities outlined in this book; enrich your fellow 4 cators, forward-thinking businessowners, and community leaders, Longhorn neighbors, friends, and family members by telling them who will go on to solve the next crisis. about the positive impact the university has on our state and The Texas Exes works to organize, inform, and engage alumni and nation; and engage in the civic process by advocating during the friends of UT Austin. Our advocacy efforts are focused on preparing 87th Legislative Session to keep critical funding safe to secure UT Austin’s future. highly engaged and influential alumni to communicate with state leg- islators about the issues that directly affect UT Austin. The following are the association’s priorities for the 87th Legislative Session. Funding Then and Now 1984 - 1985 UT Austin Budget: $503 million 33% 47% Research State grants general and other revenue areas 5% 12% AUF Tuition 3% and fees Gifts and endowments 2018 - 2019 UT Austin Budget: $3.106 billion PRIORITY: 11% 46% State BUDGET Research general grants revenue We ask the legislature to continue to invest in public higher and other 22% areas Tuition education by maintaining current funding levels for the 12% and fees formulas and research funds. We also ask the Legislature to AUF UT Austin 2018-19 maintain the University’s Institutional Enhancement. Budget Sources 9% The legislature uses funding formulas to distribute available state Gifts and $3.106 BILLION HISTORY appropriations to higher-education institutions as the core endowments investment from the state. This base level of funding is calculated primarily on enrollment and estimated average cost by program. The Higher Education Coordinat- ing Board prepares and presents these calculations to the Legislative Budget Board in June of even years. In 2011, higher education suffered substantial cuts to base COMMON QUESTIONS funding levels that have not been restored. However, in recent years, appropriators have maintained modest increases in The state’s budget is strained from losses in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With many sectors in critical need of increased funding for higher education that have spurred innovation, a strong workforce, and funds, why continue to fund higher education at the same level? that have helped attract businesses to our state. • UT Austin produces teachers, lawyers, music directors, scientists, and business owners who improve quality of life for all Texans. • The best way to promote a sustainable Texas economy—to help our Texas Public state recover from this pandemic—is to invest in a strong workforce. University • Higher education helps attracts businesses to our state. Comparison • As a result of the pandemic, the need to quickly learn new skill sets TUITION AND FEES PER SEMESTER, has emerged. Higher education provides an opportunity for people to FALL 2017 master new tools and gain leverage in the rapidly changing workforce. SOURCE: THECB TUITION AND FEES DATA FROM UT has plenty of money. Why would the university need additional INTEGRATED FISCAL REPORTING SYSTEM state resources? • Since 1984, when adjusted for inflation UT Austin has seen a more than 40% decrease in state funding, yet it maintains the lowest per- student, per-year cost when compared with 12 other major research Tuition NATIONAL PEER INSTITUIONS $11,880 universities. Comparison UT AUSTIN $10,398 • The money coming from the Available University Fund to UT Austin is only 9% of the budget and is allocated to specific resources, such Debt NATIONAL PEER INSTITUIONS $28,650 as library enhancement and scholarships. Comparison UT AUSTIN $26,000 Loan Default NATIONAL PEER INSTITUIONS 10.8% Comparison UT AUSTIN 2.6% PRIORITY: UT AUSTIN’S SPECIAL ITEMS UT Austin’s special items—which include the McDonald NON-FORMULA Observatory, the Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, and the Bureau of Economic Geology—offer positive contributions SPECIAL ITEMS to the state and nation. Bureau of Economic Geology We ask the legislature to maintain investment levels in The Bureau of Economic Geology is the State Geological Survey of Texas and UT Austin’s budgetary special items, as each are critical has contributed to the economic success of Texas since 1909. By assisting to the mission of the university and to the state. private industry in developing oil, gas, and minerals, the Bureau of Economic Geology generates additional severance tax and royalties for the state. “Special items” are specific university projects, institutions, or HISTORY The State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery (STARR) program conducts programs that have traditionally been appropriated funds outside geologic research on behalf of Texas oil and gas operators to boost production of the base formulas. In recent years, special items have sparked conversation at the in Texas, thus increasing severance tax revenues and royalty income. Since its legislature regarding ways to better organize and maintain this important funding. launch, the STARR program has helped to raise $756.65 million in severance taxes for Texas, vastly offsetting $59.6 million in total state funding. Some consideration has been given to the idea of removing this special project, non-formula funding from the budgetary process and putting the associated dollars Marine Science Institute back into the available funds for the higher education formulas. This approach would The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute is the oldest and adversely affect UT Austin, because the current higher education funding formulas most significant marine research facility on the Texas coast. UTMSI is home to over 100 scientific instruments, including a sophisticated high-end Mass do not consider special research programs and projects, nor do the current formulas Spectrometer, one of only 30 in the world. consider what many believe to be the appropriate factors for institutions of higher In 2017, MSI sustained more than $45 million in damage as a result of education. Hurricane Harvey. With the support of the UT Board of Regents, UT Austin, In 2017 UT Austin’s special items were reduced by an average of 30%. In 2019, and the Texas Legislature all the damaged buildings have either been repaired special item funding was maintained. or are currently in the process of being rebuilt. As appropriators consider options for balancing the budget in the upcoming 87th The commercial fishing industry generates more than $400 million in Legislative Session, it’s important that UT Austin advocates and friends help convey Texas and supports thousands of jobs along the Gulf Coast. UTMSI’s work the significant value that these special items have. sustains the coast and ensures the Gulf Coast remains viable and healthy for generations, while training future top-tier marine scientists. McDonald Observatory The McDonald Observatory, a research unit of The University Learn more about UT Austin’s other important non-formula items at of Texas at Austin, is one of the world's leading centers for TexasExes.org/LegeSession astronomical research, teaching, and public education and outreach, in addition to attracting tourism to Texas annually. McDonald Observatory operated the only large optical telescope in the world that stayed online through the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that if unusual astronomical phenomenon happened in the Northern Hemisphere, there would be a rapid response. INVESTING IN HIGHER EDUCATION IS INVESTING IN OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. Katherine Tong, BA ’12, has been a key player in the fight against food insecurity in Texas during the pandemic. Learn more about alumni who have contributed to the state and nation by pushing back against COVID-19 at TexasExes.org/LonghornImpact. #UTChangedMyWorld.