The Nevada Sagebrush

Sent March 26, by email:

Dear Editor:
In the Mar. 22 issue of the Nevada Sagebrush, which featured my picture on the front page, columnist Nic Dunn claimed that “Governor Sandoval’s proposed budget would reduce NSHE’s state funding to 2006 levels.”  If only!

The state-funded operating budget for the Nevada System of Higher Education is currently about $812 million. After two years of cutting, this is already about where it was in the 2006-07 fiscal year. Governor Sandoval has proposed cutting this to $625 million by the 2012-13 year, about where it was back in 2003-04.  Similarly, UNR’s current operating budget of $178 million for the main campus, or its total of $243 million for all eight of its budgets (including, for example, Cooperative Extension and the School of Medicine) have already been cut to 2006-07 levels, and Governor Sandoval proposes cutting them to 2002-03 levels.

That doesn’t sound too bad, until you realize we have had added a lot of students since then, and also had some price inflation.  It is like telling a college student he needs to get his height back to where it was eight years ago.  Should you cut off the head, or just the feet?

If we adjust for both inflation and enrollment, UNR’s current budget is already back to where it was in 1994-95.  Governor Sandoval wants to cut that back to 28% below 1991-92 levels, which was not a particularly good year for NSHE but is as far back as I have detailed data.

The cuts are even more dramatic if you consider only state funding, since students contribute a much bigger share now than they used to.  Governor Sandoval proposes cutting the state’s nominal contribution for UNR back to 1999-2000 levels. Adjusting for inflation and enrollment, it is 56% below 2005-06, and 47% below 1991-92.  I’m sorry, but those are huge cuts no matter how you slice it.
I’m sure this was just an honest mistake, for all these numbers can get pretty confusing.  But the factual error should not remain unchallenged, or students might wonder what all the fuss is about.

­— Elliott Parker, Professor and Chair, Department of Economics

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