| Show LThursday?Octoberi19VI989HHPriceH)tah 845011 Published by the students of the College of Eastern Utah Next year's budget is top priority for Board of Regents by Kirsten Christensen news editor The higher education 1990-9- 1 budget proposal to be presented to the Utah State legislature in February is one of the major items to be discussed by the Utah Board of Regents at the annual meeting held on the College of Eastern Utah campus today Included in the overall budget proposal is a seven percent salary increase for instructors and additional money to maintain medical insurance for education employees as well as funding for CEU enrollment growth and the library A salary increase for higher education instructors is again at the forefront of the annual budgetary battle Last year CEU faculty salaries bottomed out on a list of salary comparisions in a faculty compensation study completed for the Board of Regents The study showed CEU faculty salaries were 31 percent below salaries of faculties at comparable institutions The 7 percent salary increase request is over twice what was granted by the legislature last year "The legislature gave higher education institutions a 3 percent increase last year" CEU President Michael Petersen said "But we were able to give the faculty nearly a 5 percent cost of living increase" Before the increase it had been three years since the legislature had allotted stale tax dollars for higher education salary increases he said Another item the Regents and the legislature wrestled over last year wu the rising cost of medical insurance Insurance premiums have quadrupled over the past four years and the insurance carrier is projecting an additional 28 percent increase Petersen said Again a request for additional funding for enrollment growth will be in the proposal A historical number of students have enrolled at CEU this quarter Petersen said Those numbers are expected to continue to increase according to a Regents report for the 1989-9- 0 school year CEU will be asking for $479000 to fund an additional 134 students on the Price campus and 47 more students at the San Juan Center in B landing he said Part of the $2700 per student funding request will come from tuition he said Also money to upgrade the library will be asked for The Regents will consider proposals to ask for $200000 to improve the library's collection and another $120000 to implement a library automation system "An automation system would bring the library into the computer age" Petersen said It would provide computerized catalog processing as well as an on line system with university libraries he said -- by Gina Howard Research and development feature editor It's going to cost more to go to school next year due to a recent decision by The Utah State Board of Regents At their monthly meeting in September the B of R decided students at Utah's nine colleges and universities should share the burden of The Board approved a tem increasing budgetary costs and a 7 perfor tuition in increase porary 3 percent the But four-yeuniversities and cent increase for colleges tuition policy reported an Regents have yet to devise a long-terChronicle article in the University of Utah Daily In the approved preliminary 1990-9- 1 budget the Board asked for a 177 percent ($48 5 million) increase for Utah's higher education This would translate into a 7 percent ($189 million) increase in state funding for faculty and staff salaries Utah faculty and staff salaries are lagging behind equivalent institutions outside the state higher education officials told the Board Low salaries make it tough sometimes even impossible in attracting and keeping competent faculty and staff college presidents told Regents at the meeting "The quality of an institution depends upon the quality of its ” faculty Commissioner of Higher Education Wm Rolf Kerr said citing a KSL editorial "If the faculty doesn't have local ties to community that keep them in our state then they are easily wooed (continued on page 3) 157 percent Inflation adjustment two-colleg- ar Utah colleges' and universities' funding request to the state Legislature m 3J prent Tota reqUest $48342668 |
