UConn President Addresses Cuts in Relation to Grants and Donations

STORRS, CT — University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst on Thursday directly addressed the question of whether the school could make up for $308 million-plus cuts outlined by the new state budget with federal grants or donations.

Herbst released the following statements:

"Some have suggested that UConn could cover a two-year $300 million hole in our budget by using donated funds and federal grants. That absolutely is not the case; it is either a misunderstanding or fantasy about how universities operate.

"Federal grants are designated by federal agencies for particular research projects. These funds never could be used to replace state operating cuts. That would be illegal.

"What’s more, a university cannot obtain grants without scientists, and the Republican budget will decimate our science faculty.

"The same is true for fundraising. Donors give money for particular purposes. It is illegal to use that money to make up for state operating cuts. And no university can make up for hundreds of millions in cuts through donors -- not even Harvard University could do it.

" A cut of this magnitude would do two things: lead us to draconian reductions and closures that would decimate the university academically, and dramatically increase tuition and fees. We would be forced to ask students and families to pay much more for much less. That is a recipe for failure."

Herbst on Saturday called the budget "appalling" and called on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to stay with a predicted veto. The debate and voting over a $40.7 billion two-year state budget began Friday night and spilled into Saturday.

UConn officials said the fiscal year 2018 budget has a bottom line of $388,561,273 for the university, but the new state budget trims $75,895,775 off that, or 20 percent. UConn Health would lose $48,743,108, or 21 percent with the new budget. With the same bottom lines the following year, the reductions would be 28 and 32 percent, respectively, UConn officials said. In all, the state budget slashes $308,827,301 from UConn over two years, school officials said.

Photo Credit: UConn