UH Seeks Another $15 Million From Legislature

Katherine Poythress/Civil Beat

The University of Hawaii wants $15 million more from the Legislature than is in the plan for next year, in part for exceeding most of its performance goals.

The Legislature last year budgeted $997.2 million for the university system next year. One-third of the additional $15 million would go to specific programs that Gov. Neil Abercrombie also supported in his executive budget request. The university hopes to get the other $10 million as a reward for going beyond expectations for increasing graduation rates, degrees granted, Pell Grants given and attendance from Hawaii schools, among other things.

The governor's request does not include the $10 million in performance-based funding.

"The governor has been very generous with his executive request, but we think that performance-based funding is really important," UH President M.R.C. Greenwood told Civil Beat after a budget briefing before the Senate Ways and Means committee on Tuesday. "By and large, even in a very difficult recession, we have shown that we've tried to use the resources we have in an appropriate manner. And we have exceeded our goals in all but two areas."

The budget briefing is only the first in a series of discussions and testimony between now and May that will help lawmakers determine how much additional funding to give to the university this year. Many of the key issues surrounding funding requests will emerge at the early briefings.

Greenwood distributed a small pamphlet to senators showing how UH blew past its goals in the following areas:

• Degree attainment of Native Hawaiians. UH's goal was to grant 1,058 degrees to Native Hawaiians, and it granted 1,609.
• Increasing UH degrees and certificates of achievement earned. The goal was 8,644 and the actual number was 8,988.
• Increase UH disbursement of Pell Grants. The goal was 9,627 and the actual number was 17,262.
• Increase rates of public and private high school graduates to UH campuses. The goal for 2011 was 37.8 percent, and the reality was 38.4 percent.
• Increase UH extramural fund support (e.g. research grants). Goal: $393 million. Actual: $489 million.
• Increase UH degrees in STEM fields. Goal: 1,803. Actual: 1,963.
• Increase non-state revenue streams. Goal: $815 million. Actual: $897 million.

The university fell short of cutting its maintenance backlog to $246 million. The actual backlog in 2011 was $455 million. It also did not succeed in increasing the number of invention disclosures, patents and licenses — an area that Greenwood says is one of her top priorities this year.

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