University of Alaska regents will request more cash from Legislature - JAMES BROOKS, Juneau Empire

The leaders of the University of Alaska are expected to ask the Alaska Legislature for a 7.7 percent budget increase this week. The UA Board of Regents begin a two-day meeting at 8 a.m. today in Anchorage. At the meeting, they will set their budget request for Fiscal Year 2019, which starts July 1, 2018. According to documents prepared for the meeting, University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen will propose a $341.3 million operating budget. That’s up from $317 million in the current fiscal year. The request is unlikely to be filled by the Legislature: Regents requested an increase ahead of the 2017 Legislative session as well, only to see the university’s budget cut further. Since Fiscal Year 2014, the state’s contribution to the university system has dropped 16 percent, and the university’s costs have risen during the same period. That has led the university to cut programs and leave positions unfilled. http://juneauempire.com/state/news/2017-11-09/university-regents-will-request-more-cash-legislature