Officials at Utah State University are hopeful the state's land-grant university will not receive a budget cut in 2012 and that, with lawmakers voicing it as a top priority, faculty and staff could see raises they have not seen in the last few years. The early optimism comes after the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, or GOPB, released new consensus revenue figures indicating the state anticipates $128 million in new one-time revenue and $280 million in new ongoing revenue. The consensus revenue figures are agreed upon by GOPB, the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and the Utah Tax Commission. Neil Abercrombie, USU's director of government relations, said he thinks the $400 million will be spent relatively quickly because other state entities will be looking to restore budget cuts they've experienced over the last few years.
