WSU Budget Requests

Washington State University requests $1 million for a feasibility study to replace WSU’s aging core computer systems for administration and direct student support. The request is made in accordance with state Information Service Board (ISB) guidelines and in consultation with state Department of Information Systems. Current WSU information technology systems were designed with 1970s technology. The core systems are unable to perform many tasks essential to the university. Inadequate electrical and data backup on outdated equipment leaves WSU especially vulnerable to system failure following electrical surges or outages that can follow severe storms. There is a lack of integration in student and administrative core systems. Research faculty members do not have the database support they need. Research grants are difficult to track. The feasibility study lays the groundwork for a successful project plan with the goal of modern, reliable, sustainable, vendor-supported business systems and processes that will support faculty and students for years to come. The proposed study will also address the related need to upgrade fiber and building electronics to support higher network speeds, and the impact on peripheral electronic systems that interface to the core systems, end user reporting, and virtually all university business that requires central electronic data collection and processing.

Funding was cut from WSU’s budget this biennium to eliminate the “subsidy” for graduate students who are from other states. This reduction to graduate programs will damage instructional program quality for all students, graduate and undergraduate. It will also harm the quality of research programs. The state benefits from attracting top graduate students to Washington’s research universities regardless of the students’ origins. Resident and non-resident graduate students enroll in the same classes and work as teaching assistants and research assistants at the university. There were no versions of the budget, except the final conference report, that contained the cut and there were no legislative hearings or work sessions or discussions with stakeholders on the subject. Many non-resident students remain in the state where they graduate. A reduction in funding for graduate programs is counter to the principals of Washington Learns and to the legislative goal of increasing average funding for each student. WSU asks that these reductions to the core missions of the research universities be restored.

A. Equity Salary for Administrative Professionals               $1.7 million Salaries for higher education employees in Washington have fallen behind the marketplace.  The 2007 Legislature addressed these issues for bargaining unit and civil service employees by funding special salary increases averaging 4.4% to address inequities. But administrative professional (exempt) employees did not receive these increases. As a result, WSU salaries for many administrative professional positions lag salaries paid for similar positions that are part of the civil service system. Also as a result, salaries for exempt supervisors are often less than the salaries of the civil service positions they supervise. WSU now requests 3 percent additional funding to the administrative professional salary base for a pool to address pay inequities for exempt employees.  It requests the additional funding to be effective July 1, 2008. WSU joins with the state’s other public four-year institutions in making this request.

Washington State University requests $3.85 million to confront two major pressing factors that threaten public health: the danger of disease transmission from animals to humans (zoonotic diseases), and the condition of our food supply (both safety and abundance.) For instance, recent deaths and hospitalizations associated with e-coli outbreaks in spinach and illnesses from consumption of raw milk are examples of national consumer food safety issues that have impacted the state’s industry. There are issues related to avian flu and prion diseases such as “BSE.” In addition, Washington is facing a number of serious threats including sudden oak death, honey bee colony collapse, grape leaf roller virus, and other diseases. $1.75 million of the request is for creation of new WSU School of Global Animal Health is to provide practical, innovative solutions to infectious disease challenges through research, education, global outreach, and application of disease control at the animal‑human interface. The funding will secure four key internationally-recognized faculty positions to launch the school in the areas of animal-human disease transmission, vaccine development, disease surveillance and global animal health policy. The School of Global Animal Health will advance science, people, and policy to discover novel approaches for disease intervention and delivery of preventive health care for animals and humans.