Undeterred by the state's budget crisis, Washington's colleges and universities are trying to reverse a trend of diminishing state support by making their case directly to voters, lawmakers and influential groups, including the business community.
Top administrators, including the presidents of the University of Washington and Washington State University, are making a concerted effort to spread the word through speaking engagements, private meetings and other forums.
One of their central themes is that Washington's colleges and universities play an essential role in the state's economic development. The UW recently promoted its own role in the economy by distributing a full-color, 20-page booklet entitled, "Fueling Our State's Economic Future."
But university officials will face their toughest audience in January, when lawmakers gather in Olympia for the 2003 legislative session. Legislators and Gov. Gary Locke must somehow balance a biennial budget that is now out of balance by as much as $2.6 billion, according to some estimates.
The state's contribution to the cost of a student's education at the UW declined this academic year to the lowest level in five years when adjusted for inflation, according to data gathered by the state Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Indeed, the Legislature stripped $63 million out of the higher-ed budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30. As a result of that cut, the UW lost $27 million in state funds, while WSU lost $16 million.
Higher-education officials realize they will have a tough sell in the 2003 session. One university lobbyist conceded, "It's going to be brutal." Nonetheless, university leaders are so concerned about state funding that they are determined to press ahead.
"There are a lot of difficult decisions that the Legislature has," said Harlan Patterson, vice provost for planning and budgeting at the UW. But, he added, "We think it's really important to press this debate."
The issue has the attention of some business groups. The Washington Roundtable, a Seattle-based policy shop for corporate executives, made higher-ed funding one if its top priorities, right behind the adoption of a state budget that encourages economic growth.
"Higher ed plays a critical role in our increasingly knowledge-based economy," said Steve Mullin, the Roundtable's vice president. "There is a clear understanding of the importance of higher ed to our future, and some concern about how were going to protect it in the short run."
Former governors Dan Evans, a Republican, and Booth Gardner, a Democrat, are also working on new funding mechanisms for Washington's colleges and universities, people familiar with their work say. Neither man could be reached for comment.
The funding issue could be coming to a head after building for several years.
Colleges and universities, under pressure to accommodate rising enrollments, are accepting more students than the state will pay for. Those students still pay tuition, but that covers only 42 percent of the cost of teaching a freshman or sophomore at the UW.
The problem of overenrollment is not new, but the sheer numbers are getting worrisome, educators say. In the 2001-02 academic year, the state agreed to pay for the equivalent of 209,600 full-time students, but 221,900 actually enrolled. Higher-ed institutions had to find ways to make up the difference.
Financial pressures are becoming increasingly apparent, educators say.
UW administrators are contending with a $1 billion backlog on campus maintenance projects. Faculty and students are also beginning to openly question the future of the institution.
"I think it's a sign that we're on the cusp, and the question should be answered," UW vice provost Patterson said.
Tuition is climbing too, as students and their families assume more of the cost of a college education. The UW and WSU remain affordable when compared to universities nationwide, comparisons show. Nonetheless, tuition at the two universities increased 78 percent between 1991 and 2002.
Those and other developments add up to "an alarming trend," said Marc Gaspard, executive director of the state Higher Education Coordinating Board. "If funding continues to fall short, we will have more students, larger class sizes, fewer offerings, higher tuition and enrollment caps."
At WSU, the administration of university president V. Lane Rawlins is trying to draw the line at quality.
"The state can make us smaller if they want, but they can't make us worse," said Larry Ganders, special assistant to Rawlins in Olympia. "We're not going to water the soup any more. We're just not going to do it."
But lawmakers have no easy solutions for the higher-ed money puzzle. Part of the problem has to do with the structure of the state budget.
A mandate in the state constitution means public schools kindergarten through 12th grade are first in line for money from the state's general fund. They sopped up 44 percent of the $22.4 billion general fund during the current biennium.
Higher ed fights with other agencies over the remaining 56 percent of the budget. Scores of other agencies have designs on the money, including the state Department of Social and Health Services and the state Department of Corrections.
The budget crisis, now at $2 billion and counting, only makes the remaining dollars more coveted. Even a sympathetic legislator doesn't see money readily available for higher ed.
"Over the years, we have not funded higher ed at the level we should be funding it," said state Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, a Seattle Democrat and chair of the House Higher Education Committee. But, she added, "Where are we going to get the money?"
Despite the dire outlook, the university community and its allies are trying to keep up the pressure.
Late last month, the Higher Education Coordinating Board adopted a resolution that urged the state to "reverse recent state funding trends and fully support the cost of providing a quality education to students at a price they can afford."
The board went on to call for spending more money on operations and facilities on Washington's colleges and universities.
Educators say they would be delighted to get more money from the state, although, in more realistic moments, they concede that preventing additional cuts may be the best they can hope for until the budget outlook brightens.
UW administrators want lawmakers to appropriate $150 million for capital projects, address the funding problem over a six-year period and give the university more control over tuition and fees. But UW vice provost Patterson concedes, "We don't think there's a high probability of it."
A more attainable goal for now, he said, would be to prevent additional budget cuts.
"We have to change the trend line," he said.