Your Online ASU Legislative Connection
Volume 2 Issue 7

Dear ASU Advocate Friend,

It is hard to believe that the fall semester is nearing the half-way mark. As we look around we are faced with the sights of students feverishly studying for mid-terms and/or working on class assignments. This sense of urgency has hit the Alumni Association’s Advocacy team as well!!

We have begun planning for the upcoming session of the Arizona Legislature and our ASU Day at the Capitol. This year’s event is scheduled for Monday, February 20, 2006. More detailed information will be included in future editions of the newsletter.

In the meantime, we would like to share with you some very important information — ASU’s 2007 Budget Request to the Governor and Legislature. Once the legislative session begins, we will be providing you with very important updates on our budget request. ASU’s budget is very important to the future of ASU, so we ask that you take time to carefully read through the highlights below.

ASU FY 2007 Budget Request

ASU’s President’s Office recently put the finishing touches on the FY 2007 budget request to the Arizona State Legislature. Our budget will be presented to the legislature when it convenes in January, 2006. This year’s budget will greatly assist ASU in completing its goals set forth as part of President Crow’s New American University Initiative. To learn more about this please visit: http://www.asu.edu/president/newamericanuniversity/

The priority investment items contained in the FY 07 budget requests are enrollment growth, critical facilities for the Polytechnic campus, building renewal/deferred maintenance and Biomedical Informatics department. The following paragraphs provide a summary of the aforementioned critical initiatives.

Enrollment Growth

Arizona State University is becoming the university of choice in Arizona. Eight out of ten students choosing to attend Arizona’s university system, select ASU. Each of ASU’s campuses experienced significant growth between last spring semester and this fall semester. The Tempe campus grew by over 2,400 students or nearly 5 percent. The West campus grew by nearly 400 students, an increase over 5 percent. The Polytechnic campus grew by nearly 900 students, a whopping 22% increase. ASU’s freshman class for the fall 2005 semester contains 8,400 students. We are seeking an increased investment of $17.6 million in enrollment growth from the legislature in order to maintain academic quality and accommodate the increasing number of students seeking an education at Arizona State University,

ASU Polytechnic Campus – Critical Facilities

ASU is seeking a $7.5 million annual investment to cover debt service costs associated with adding approximately $103 million in core facilities at the Polytechnic campus to support enrollment growth at the campus and to create the academic facilities needed to transform the existing campus to a polytechnic campus.

Building Renewal

ASU is seeking a $22.6 million budget renewal investment from the legislature for FY 2007. These funds will allow the university to address only its most urgent building needs, particularly reduce the deferred maintenance backlog, and lessen the need to fund interim repairs with long term-debt accompanied by substantial interest.

Deferred Maintenance

ASU is requesting the legislature to invest in long-term debt financing to help the university reduce a backlog of deferred maintenance projects that jeopardize safety and functionality of physical assets. The FY 2005 total deferred maintenance backlog, at the Tempe campus alone, exceeds $100 million. Continuing to ignore or addressing only the most critical deferred maintenance projects has rendered some ASU facilities in operable and could potentially result in buildings being shut down, the failure of major systems, or service associated with a $50 million debt issuance enabling ASU to complete high priority renovation, deferred maintenance, and infrastructure projects at all three campuses.

Biomedical Informatics

ASU is seeking an additional $1 million investment in the base funding to augment the state’s initial investment in the new Department of Biomedical Informatics. The Arizona State System Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix provides a unique opportunity for the development of a world class Biomedical Informatics Department which will incorporate the studies of computer science, biology and engineering, to organize and analyze medical data.

Closing Thoughts

As with any organization, its members are its number one resource. We would like to thank all of you for your continued support of ASU. One of our goals is to develop new methods of member engagement. If you have any suggestions, comments or observations you would like to share with us, just click on this link advoteam@sundeviladvocates.org and let us know.

Thank you,

Jeff Grant, Director
ASU Alumni Association

P.S. If you want to become an active member of the ASU Alumni Association, one of the best ways you can give back is through membership in the ASU Alumni Association. The annual dues of $45 offer an affordable way to help build ASU’s reputation. Visit www.asu.edu/alumni/membership or call 1-800-ALUMNUS.

P.S.S. If you have a different e-mail address you would prefer us to use, just email us at advoteam@sundeviladvocates.org with your new e-mail address and we’ll make the change.

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