Legislature(2001 - 2002)
02/05/2001 09:06 AM Senate FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
GENERAL SUBJECT(S):
State of the University
President Mark Hamilton
**Joint Meeting**
with the
House Finance Committee
The following overview was taken in log note format. Tapes and
handouts will be on file with the Senate Finance Committee through the
21st Legislative Session, contact 465-4935. After the 22nd
Legislative session they will be available through the Legislative
Library at 465-3808.
Time Meeting Convened: 9:06 AM
Tape(s): SFC-01 # 8, Side A
PRESENT:
x Senator Donley
x Senator Kelly
x Senator Austerman
x Senator Green
x Senator Hoffman
x Senator Leman
x Senator Olsen
x Senator Ward
x Senator Wilken
x Representative Mulder
x Representative Williams
x Representative Bunde
x Representative Foster
x Representative Harris
x Representative Hudson
x Representative Lancaster
Representative Whitaker
Representative Croft
x Representative Davies
x Representative Moses
ALSO PRESENT:
SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS
SENATOR GENE THERRIAULT
REPRESENTATIVE SHARON CISSNA
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN COGHILL, JR.
REPRESENTATIVE ANDREW HALCRO
REPRESENTATIVE JOE HAYES
REPRESENTATIVE JEANNETTE JAMES
REPRESENTATIVE MARY KAPSNER
REPRESENTATIVE BETH KERTTULA
REPRESENTATIVE LISA MCGUIRE
REPRESENTATIVE PEGGY WILSON
GENERAL MARK HAMILTON, President, University of Alaska
LOG SPEAKER DISCUSSION
0 Co-Chair Kelly Introduction
Representative Gave President Hamilton's credentials,
Mulder education, assignments in the military,
etc.
44 MARK HAMILTON, Introduced board of regents members and
President, members of the Alaska Coalition of Student
University of Leaders.
Alaska
62 Should be a great point of pride that
Alaska has the most assessable legislators
in the country.
71 Two years ago, I came before you for the
first time, showed you that university had
lost the ability to contribute to its own
funding and to respond to the growing needs
of the state.
I stated that if the university had more
funds it would begin to bear more of the
costs to service the state.
86 1986-1989 university was able to generate
approximately, $5.4 million in addition to
general funds.
Of that, only about $100,000 was available
to supplement general funding.
In contrast, this year, we will generate
$26 million, of which, as much as $5
million will be available for university
requirements.
We have factored this into our request.
98 By supporting the request for this year, we
believe that we could generate up to $36
million.
If all these restricted dollars were
directly substitutable, we wouldn't have to
ask for more increases, but they are not.
104 They are dependant on general funds to
generate them.
Important to understand this is not simply
a matter of leverage.
Reason enrollment is up, along with
tuition, federal receipts, university
receipts, indirect costs recovery, private
giving and corporate giving are because of
legislative increase.
119 Substantial increase in a tough budget year
You have turned the university around,
partially by dollars but also by your
encouragement.
128 Enrollment up first time since 1994.
This year we hired recruiters for the first
time ever.
130 Adding of counselors and additional
programs.
20 percent of Alaskan high school graduates
leave Alaska because we don't offer them
the courses they want.
138 We used to have a six-month backlog of
transcripts to process.
141 Today that backlog is eliminated.
Pride and moral is up.
145 Talked with and worked with teachers,
principals, and superintendents and asked
them what is our roll?
We must provide the quality teachers to run
the quality schools.
Begun fifth year MAT program.
Addressed the need for elementary
educators.
Working with professionals on the ever-
increasing training for the needs of
educators.
160 Health care.
Largest growing area in the state.
Last year supported the two-year registered
nursing program to Kodiak and Fairbanks.
Identified the need for dental care workers
and radiologists.
Asked the profession to help us prioritize.
Looking to offer one-year program.
177 Information technology.
We've gone to the professionals who
identified the areas of needed training.
Highest priority not at the degree level
but at the IT level.
These are high paying jobs.
188 Natural resources.
Alaska's future will reflect Alaska's past.
194 Engineering.
Expanding programs in Anchorage and
Fairbanks.
Commissioner Perkins, of the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities, said
he could hire every graduate and that there
will even be competition.
202 Contractual pay raises were approved by the
legislature last year.
204 Even with increases number of faculty,
requesting marginally less money to meet
these requirements because you allowed us
to generate monies that we can apply.
209 Inflation.
We are asking for less than one-half of one
percent of our budget base to cover just
the extraordinary inflation items of
library and IT software licensing and
hardware upgrading.
The rest we are able to address with money
that you've enabled us to generate.
215 Important long-term efficiency called
convergence.
This will converge the separate pipes that
run video, voice and data, into one
instrument that can handle all media.
222 We are asking for funds that we will match
and over-match through our access to state
government.
226 Lena Point research facility and university
museum are highly leveraged.
230 Accountability.
Every initiative you funded last year is
laid out on the Internet.
Keeping us on track for what we told
Alaskans we would do.
Accountability is more than a buzzword.
247 Board of regents voices ring loud.
249 Co-Chair Donley asked a question two years
ago regarding disbursement of funds to
instruction.
The FY 00 initiatives went 100 percent to
instruction and instructional support.
Last year 76.5 percent directly to
instruction and instructional support.
My request this year is 63 percent in that
instruction category.
256 Representative Bunde supporter of
additional emphasis in two-year programs
and vocational technical programs.
Of the FY 00 initiatives, 48.5 percent went
to those programs.
FY 01 32 percent plus 100 percent of "289
funding".
In our request, 41.8 percent goes to two-
year and vocational technical programs.
261 Partnerships.
They continue to be our strength.
They inform us and keep us on track.
264 Representative Davies is a proponent of
research and being more responsive to the
state.
Last year, legislature gave university $1
million to compete in a program called
Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research (EPSR).
Nine states submitted programs to the
National Science Foundation.
Alaska was overwhelming voted number one
submission and was funded $3.5 million per
year for the next three years to pursue
programs directly germane to Alaska.
Infrastructure for exploring the special
requirements for roads and harbors for
areas with extraordinary temperature
changes and seismic unstable locations.
Will explore engineering technologies and
materials.
High latitude, environments and
contaminants, to trace the difficulties
associated with the cooling of water by
permafrost.
These funds allow us to expand research
opportunities to Anchorage and Juneau
campuses.
285 First time since 1994 enrollment up.
287 Highlights of outside acclaim.
University of Alaska-Southeast external
accreditation report.
Praised for attention to student support
and curriculum quality.
298 University of Alaska-Anchorage external
accreditation review team.
Praised for expanded partnerships with
community.
Positive attitude of staff and students.
University of Alaska-Fairbanks
Rifle team second consecutive national
championship.
Team members maintained a cumulative 3.8
grade point average.
313 Students of UAF and partners in Japan,
successfully launched a rocket to an
altitude of 50 miles, over ten times the
previous high.
316 Faculty.
Numerous personal awards, competitive
grants and publications.
Expansion of IT courses and statewide
offerings have been a challenge and they
have responded.
Intensive self-development.
323 Number of promising economic opportunities.
Gas pipeline.
Expansion of railroad.
Will insist that fiber optic cable be
included.
331 Compare to 1880's railroad and telegraph
connection between east and western United
States.
337 Many people not interested in growth.
The answer is to train Alaskans to take the
key jobs.
343 We can't wait for the big projects to come
to us, by then the good jobs are taken and
infrastructure is overwhelmed and built
reactively.
348 Some legislatures already addressing the
capital needs.
This work should be done before the
competition and high prices of the boom.
353 University stands ready to participate and
inform in these key deliberations.
355 Quote from Mike Burns, chairman of Board of
Regents, "Higher education yields
prosperity, but it also opens doors of
learning, imagination, and understanding.
To give us the chance to know more and do
more, to better comprehend our own lives
and our neighbors."
358 Challenging story "what is rich?" asked a
successful merchant banker of the Persian
Gulf. "Rich is education, expertise,
technology. Rich is knowing. We have money,
yes, but we are not rich. We are like the
child who inherits money from a father he
never knew. He was not brought up to spend
it. He has it in his hands. He does not
know how to use it. If you do not know how
to spend money, you are not rich. We are
not rich." "Are you rich if your children
go elsewhere to school?"
372 If you make this university strong you will
be rich.
375 Co-Chair Kelly Introduce later arriving legislators
377 Senator Leman Last year additional funding was given and
there were five areas we wanted to respond
to.
Logistics, vocational education, nursing
and other health care, teacher training and
arctic and mining engineering.
I didn't hear about logistics and working
with the military.
387 President Hamilton Remarkable, set up masters degree program
Next level to train material handlers,
accountants, shippers, etc.
Been to Hawaii twice, Pacific command looks
at Alaska as their center for global
logistics support.
UPS and Federal Express have as well for
their commercial operations.
That program is well ahead of expectations.
399 Senator Leman Ask student leaders in audience if
attending using the Alaska scholars program
403 Two in this group.
How is the program working in this past
year?
404 President Hamilton Remarkable number given the year, don't
have exact numbers.
Not going to be 109 percent like last year.
408 Senator Leman Partnerships.
Elmer Rasmussen left money to university.
Can you give us numbers of investments from
business and individuals?
413 President Hamilton Final Rasmussen gift total exceeds $20
million.
Designated to specific projects as he
specified.
Received approximately $2.5 million from
Phillips/BP as an annual commitment,
dependent on oil prices.
We allocated broadly to make sure
university is able to participate in
exploration of economic development
opportunities in the state.
424 Representative Give more about how scholars program is
Davies doing.
Funding out of land grant earnings. How
long can you continue to do that?
428 President Hamilton We're attracting about 40 percent of the
top ten-percent of the state.
After spring enrollment, 550 of Alaska's
brightest students go to the University of
Alaska.
Using money from the natural resources
fund, we will go broke next year.
Not worried since we will pull out all the
stops for such a valuable program.
Will come to this body for funds next year.
We are only state that offers neither
needs-based nor merits-based scholarships.
Not the first time had bright students, but
once you reach a certain density, it
changes the atmosphere.
Source of advertisement as the numbers
grow.
Will see more student leaders.
Will see more graduates - 80 percent of our
graduates stay in the state.
457 Representative How do numbers compare to previous year for
Mulder attracting and retaining those scholars
461 President Hamilton Got about 270 scholars the first time,
about 350 the second time, against the same
base of about 750 in the top ten-percent.
Retention far exceeds the retention of the
student body as a whole, in the low 70's.
Difficult to compare that number across the
country since such a unique program.
We have baseline going higher.
473 Representative In budget request focus on not only on
Mulder recruiters but also counselors.
476 President Hamilton Prior presidents, in decisions to adjust
for budget reductions eliminated these
positions.
In efforts to retain programs, we mortgaged
our future.
We are just catching up.
Only had this money since July, what's
happened is not the result of recruiters
and counselors, but because the legislature
gave a vote of confidence.
People like to ride with a winner.
Will get better.
501 Co-Chair Kelly Status on deferred maintenance and the
appropriations that have not yet been
spent.
502 President Hamilton No capital planners in the system, used to
be nine employees including an architect,
long lost to staff reductions.
We put together a team to address these
issues.
Senator Wilken asked for full accounting of
this and we prepared a document.
Part of the problem is with timing.
When renovate a major classroom, where do
those classes meet?
When renovate a dorm, have to know where to
put those people.
516 Senator Wilken By constitution, legislature allocates lump
sum of money, which the board of regents
then determines how it should be spent.
521 President Hamilton Idea of formula considered by many states.
Very complex and difficult.
We explored, and learned that the way funds
are distributed is a wash.
Heard suggestions on student head count or
course hours.
Each campus is important.
Academic jump balls.
Identify, programs succeed or fail on their
own merits, no matter what campus initiated
it.
SFC-01 # 8, Side B 9:53 AM
550 President Hamilton Don't think formulas work.
Reward the program that serves the state.
547 Senator Hoffman Didn't mention rural campuses.
540 President Hamilton Mat-Su $600,000 federal grant for small
business development programs.
Chukchi derived from legislative intent to
get with local school districts and
chambers of commerce, technology center and
your campus and decide how to do most
efficient presentation of courses.
This has attracted Native corporation, Red
Dog Mine and generated 450 additional
student credit hours in technical field.
528 Great beauty in community campuses is in
their ability to react to local needs.
Kodiak response to two-year technology
program in fisheries and aerospace is full
and continue to be asked for additional
courses
522 Senator Hoffman How many rural campuses have you attended
since becoming president?
520 President Hamilton All of them.
519 Representative Bring students from Outside?
Lancaster
517 President Hamilton Not much, out of state is a particular
challenge, we do attract, up significantly
in Fairbanks.
Attracted by quality of programs.
Recruiting needs to be focused.
Pool shrinks quickly.
85 percent of high school graduates go to
college within 250 miles of their home.
We concentrate from within the state first.
No better place to recruit than a high
school
Advertisements on the internet are of some
value
Advertisements as a whole are very
expensive.
Need to understand the market before we go
after it.
497 Representative Interested in percentage of college-bound
Hudson graduates who choose Alaska.
492 President Hamilton Was one of the missions and measures agreed
upon.
We now know that we capture 22 percent of
high school graduates.
Depends on what percentage of high school
graduates actually go to college, we have
low percentage in Alaska.
We actually capture higher percentage of
small pool.
Quality schools initiative should improve
this.
476 Senator Ward Five years ago my first meeting with
university, I was told they were having
troubles with ability of new students.
That led to exit exam.
High number of high school graduates unable
to perform.
Has that improved?
464 President Hamilton Significant number of high school graduates
must take remedial courses.
There has been a reduction in the number of
remedial courses being taken, don't know
the cause.
We can track percentage of incoming Alaska
high school graduates taking remedial
courses.
The symptom exists.
444 Senator Ward Would be interested land grant what is the
status.
439 President Hamilton Status of additional land grant funds to
the University?
438 Senator Ward
437 President Hamilton Lands bill passed last year, important step
forward in the amount of land.
Of the land that we have, current value in
trust fund is $112 million.
Frees for distribution each year, after
inflation proofing $5 million.
Small amount compared to other land grant
institutions.
US Senator Frank Murkowski refers to the
University of Alaska as a land grant
institution with no land.
Possible federal land grant.
When talk about land selections, after
litigations, bids, litigations, etc. 15-20
years before begin to produce.
Important for next generation, but does not
apply to short or mid term needs.
417 Senator Ward 1992 tried to give land to university, if
so, it would be better off today.
413 Co-Chair Kelly Thank President Hamilton
Will keep your comments in mind
408 Adjourn 10:08 AM
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