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UW Trustees Finalize Budget Request

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University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to finalize UW’s 2017-2018 state budget request.

The University is asking the state for about $155 million more dollars to pay for ongoing projects, one-time expenses and campus construction during the two-year period. That’s on top of the more than $200 million dollars UW receives in state appropriations each year.

“It’s a substantial request, no question about it,” says University spokesman Chad Baldwin. “And the University understands that this is coming at a time when there’s uncertainty about state revenues. The trustees certainly have that on their minds, but the biggest chunk of this request is for initiatives or projects that legislators and the Governor—to some degree—have either initiated or supported already.”

Those projects include upgrading UW’s science and engineering buildings and programs—which accounts for most of the funding requested—and boosting the University’s athletic competitiveness.

UW also wants funding to boost salaries and recruit and retain top faculty, to revamp its financial accounting and reporting systems and to match private contributions, among other things.

The Board files a separate budget request for UW medical education programs, but failed to finalize that Wednesday.

Some trustees wanted to cut several million dollars from the request that would fund operations and salary bumps at medical residency programs in Cheyenne and Casper.

Meredith Asay with the University president’s office told trustees the programs provide clinical training for UW nursing students and, primarily, train doctors and help keep them in Wyoming.

“Doctors, after medical school, have to go through a residency in their chosen field in order to be able to practice in that field,” says Asay. “Cheyenne and Casper’s residencies are for family medicine. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between where a doctor ends up practicing—and where that doctor did their residency.”

The Board did vote down proposed raises for faculty at those clinics.

All budget requests are due to the Department of Administration and Information Budget Division and Governor Matt Mead’s office on August 15.

Governor Mead will present his budget recommendations to the Legislature later this year.

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