Despite a crippling state budget cut of more than $500 million, legislators were able to keep the University System of Maryland’s budget largely intact, trimming only $14 million.
Officials and legislators said the small size of the cut, along with the likely passage of a tuition freeze for the fourth straight year, shows how higher education is a priority of the state government and of Gov. Martin O’Malley (D). System Chancellor Brit Kirwan said that, considering the cuts the General Assembly had to make, the system’s share could have been between $80 and $85 million.
“I think this is a remarkable show of support on the part of the General Assembly for higher education, for us to get such a small cut,” Kirwan said.
The final budget is expected to be passed today by the General Assembly and includes an amendment that calls for a system-wide policy on pornography – the result of the university’s reversed decision to show a hardcore pornographic film on the campus earlier this month – but won’t threaten university funding, despite Sen. Andrew Harris’ (R-Baltimore and Harford) attempts to do so for airing the triple-X movie, Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge.
Top-ranking lawmakers cut the system’s general operating funds by $5.6 million – as per Senate recommendation – after negotiating the House of Delegates and Senate versions of the budget in conference committee. The system’s reserve funds were chopped by $9 million, a trim that isn’t likely to affect its high credit rating, system lobbyist P.J. Hogan said.
The cut means the system did not get an increase in funding over last year’s allocation, but officials said the proposed in-state tuition freeze for undergraduates looks likely to pass for the fourth year in a row. The Board of Regents, a 17-member panel of gubernatorial appointees who oversee system policy, will soon meet to decide whether to freeze tuition at current levels, a move that will cost $16 million.
The university will likely have about $2 million less than expected, university President Dan Mote said.
“There will be some cutbacks; we’ll have to reduce activities, make some adjustments,” Mote said. “We’re not depressed, though. In fact, we have many thank-yous to make.”
Colleges and universities in other states have been among the first on the chopping block during the economic crisis.
Although the operating budget is set, the state’s capital budget is still up in the air. While the House of Delegates approved the second design phase of a physical science complex and a new Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Training center, the Senate approved the complex and $5 million for East Campus, but not the training center – inconsistencies that will be resolved with the capital budget.
“The university is eager to see the East Campus project move forward and speed up the reallocation process,” said university lobbyist Ross Stern.
Today is the last day of the legislative session, which means legislators will be working until midnight to pass the operating and capital budgets and a number of other bills, including a hotly contested measure that would establish legal residency as a requirement for a state driver’s license.
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