State funding cuts have prompted University of Wyoming administrators to propose changes in how money raised from annual tuition increases is allocated.

Board of Trustees member Mike Massie said under the current policy $2 million in added revenue generated by the tuition increase has always been allocated to salary increases for professors who have reached tenure, libraries and information technology.

Vice President for administration Bill Mai explained the proposal to the trustees last week, which would instead put the $2 million in the UW general fund. The allocation of the funds would be determined at a later date.

Massie said that the trustees wanted to touch base with the student, faculty and staff senates before the board puts it to a vote.

Massie says he suspects that the reason UW administration wants to put the $2 million generated by tuition increases in the general fund is to provide more flexibility when creating the budget for 2017, in light of the $5 million budget cuts and re-allocations.

“They are not sure what the full ramifications [of the budget cuts] will be; the $2 million can be used to plug holes in the budget that are not obvious now,” Massie said.

Massie said other proposals are in the works in response to the budget cuts; he said that a draft proposal to substantially increase student fees is expected to be presented to the trustees in the spring.

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