Contact: Jennifer Hollingshead
Office: (573) 882-0601
E-mail: hollingsheadj@umsystem.edu
Statement from University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ President Elson S. Floyd Regarding the House and Senate Conference Committee Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2006 University Appropriations
The joint ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ House and Senate conference budget committee signed off yesterday on a bill to provide the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ with a flat appropriation for operations of approximately $400 million for next year. The committee also signed off on a flat appropriation of approximately $23 million for the University's hospitals and clinics and a $1 million increase to the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥-Kansas City School of Dentistry. The bill will have to be voted on by the full ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ House and Senate before being considered for gubernatorial approval.
"I am very grateful to Governor Blunt and the House and Senate for their perseverance in maintaining our general operating budget for the coming fiscal year," University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ President Elson S. Floyd said. "Given the harsh fiscal realities facing our state, this is indeed good news and a validation of the importance of higher education to ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥."
The House and Senate conference committee recommended cutting funding for two state services stewarded by the University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥. The committee signed off on eliminating appropriations for the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Bibliographic Information User System (MOBIUS), a common electronic library platform for a consortium of colleges and academic libraries. The committee also signed off on cutting $4.35 million from the ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Research and Education Network (MOREnet), which provides Internet connectivity, access to Internet2, technical support, videoconferencing services and training to ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥'s K-12 schools, colleges and universities, public libraries, health care, state government and other affiliated organizations.
"These are vital services for our schools and libraries," President Floyd said. "We have already begun a plan to consolidate these important organizations in order to save funding and operate as efficiently as possible."
Reviewed 2010-06-16