Briefing Paper

UA actively manages its revenue and expenses, weighing the needs of students, the state and Alaska’s employers against revenue received from the state, tuition, federal grants and other sources. UA has only received state funding for programs, above day-to-day costs, four times in the last 20 years, and has been consistently funded under inflation rates. As a result, UA has had to cut costs, cobble together one-time funds and reallocate resources to continue supplying the well-trained workforce Alaska business and industry need. The list below shows some of recent cost-cutting measures:

UA Statewide

Administration & Finance
Reduced staff in Controller and Finance offices by 1.5 FTE (full-time equivalent)
Eliminated two executive positions – VP-Administration and VP-Planning & Budget
Reduced FY09 travel budgets by minimum 10 percent
Reduced consulting services by requiring centralized oversight/approval 

Academic Affairs
Eliminated two executive positions – Sr. Associate VP and Assistant VP

University Relations
Suspended statewide marketing/advertising campaign
Eliminated full-time public affairs position

Information Technology
Outsource Statewide and UAF email - anticipated savings in hardware/software costs

Systemic Savings
Eliminated "geographic differential" for Fairbanks employees
Capped the UA pension, equivalent to the state's SBS, at $42,000, vs. state's $87,000 
UA per diem is $44/day, vs. state's $60/day and non-session legislator $150/day
University overtime starts at 40 hours/week, vs. state at 37.5 hours/week

Bottom Line: UA is proactive in containing costs and searching for efficiencies.

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For Information Contact:        
Pete Kelly, Director, State Relations                   
450-8006/465-2382