UAFS sees continued decline in state funding
by April 22, 2011 2:43 pm 79 views
It may be learned Monday (April 25) if officials with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith request tuition and fee increases to offset a decline in state funding.
According to the fiscal year 2012 forecast released Thursday (April 21) by the Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration, UAFS will receive $20,115,961 in “A” funding and $214,922 in “B” funding. Under Arkansas’ Revenue Stabilization Act, monies in “B” funding categories are appropriated if “A” funding obligations are met.
The FY 2012 total for UAFS is $20.33 million, which reflects a continued trend of decline in state support, noted Mark Horn, vice chancellor for finance and administration at UAFS.
In FY 2008, UAFS received $23.045 million and had 5,263 full-time equivalent students. In FY 2012, Horn said UAFS will have at least 6,000 full-time equivalent students, meaning the state support per student has fallen from $4,379 in 2008 to what will be about $3,800 in 2012.
“So you can see, we are losing ground,” Horn said, adding that when factoring in the impact of inflation, the difference “really becomes more dramatic.”
Horn said the university is “grateful for what we get” from the state, but struggles each year to balance the reduced revenue with the increased demand for student services.
The 2011 spring enrollment at the UAFS was 7,058, a 3.3% increase over last spring’s record enrollment. The spring full-time equivalency (FTE) number to 5,464, a 6.1% increase from last spring’s record FTE enrollment. Also, the spring 2010 enrollment was a 7% increase over 2009.
Tuition at UAFS increased almost 7% in 2010, with the average student paying about $159 more than in 2009. Although the UAFS increase in 2010 was the highest in the UA system, the UAFS per semester student costs were the lowest among the five four-year universities.
Horn said UAFS officials will present their FY 2012 budget plans to the UA System Board on April 25. Details of any requested tuition or other fee changes will be in that report, Horn said.