Posted on: Friday, October 15, 2004

EDITORIAL
UH deserves more state tax support

It was no shock when acting University of Hawai'i President David McClain came to the Legislature this week with a plea for about $70 million in additional state help for a projected two-year operating budget of about $715 million.

That's a relatively modest request considering the work the university is asked to do. And even if granted, it would still put UH short of the $840 million it unsuccessfully asked for just two years ago.

Overall, the University of Hawai'i operates on a budget of slightly more than a billion dollars a year, when all sources of income are counted.

McClain's request should be given strong consideration from the Legislature. The demands our state place on the university continue to grow, while its budget — at least that part of it that comes directly from taxpayers — has been relatively flat.

And the acting president did not simply come in asking for more money. He said he has made trims in top administrative costs and is seriously looking at capping enrollment at UH-Manoa.

McClain warned that without more help, tuition for UH students will have to be raised over and above amounts already scheduled. Current plans call for a full year of undergraduate tuition at Manoa to rise to $3,504 by 2006.

But McClain said additional increases beyond those already programmed might be necessary if the Legislature does not come through.

We'd argue that UH should at least look at further tuition increases even if the Legislature does come up with the money. At $3,500 a year, UH tuition remains a tremendous bargain for a research-level state university.

McClain noted that some of the impact of higher tuition will be offset by increased financial aid and a new state-backed scholarship fund.

And that's important. As a matter of public policy, higher education in Hawai'i must be affordable to all who seek it.

Legislators must understand that tuition income and the money they appropriate are separate. It would be a cruel hoax if extra money raised by tuition were offset by diminished general fund support.

In so many ways the university benefits the entire state, not just the students who attend one of its campuses. It is only right that the entire state help UH through a generous share of its tax dollars.