House Finance subcommittee recommends $1.16 billion University of Alaska operating budget with targeted campus safety and mental-health additions

Monica Schwiggendorf presented the House Finance Budget Subcommittee recommendations for the University of Alaska FY27 operating budget to the House Finance Committee.

Schwiggendorf said the subcommittee recommends a total operating budget of $1,163,490,000, composed of $369,755,100 in unrestricted general funds (UGF), $310,797,300 in designated general funds, $253,116,800 in other funds and $229,820,800 in federal receipts. The subcommittee recommendations increase UGF by $11,817,400 (3.3%) compared with the governor's amended FY27 proposal and keep total positions at 4,118 (3,848 permanent full-time; 270 permanent part-time; 0 temporary).

The subcommittee adopted several targeted additions requested by the Board of Regents to address campus public safety and student mental-health services. Schwiggendorf summarized public-safety items totaling $1,076,000 in UGF for five permanent full-time positions across the three University of Alaska campuses: an item allocating $500,000 to University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) for police department staffing and equipment (two permanent positions and nonpersonnel costs such as body and vehicle cameras and less-lethal tasers); an item allocating $326,000 to University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) to add dispatchers to achieve 24/7 coverage and support camera integrations (two permanent positions); and an item allocating $250,000 to University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) for a full-time safety officer and physical security improvements.

On student mental-health, Schwiggendorf said the subcommittee recommended $965,000 in UGF for five permanent positions and expanded services: $440,000 for UAA to add three permanent in-house providers and expand telehealth services (including after-hours access); $350,000 for UAF to fund a clinical psychologist and support pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training; and $175,000 for UAS to add a case manager to address food insecurity, housing and academic support needs.

Schwiggendorf noted that items 21, 22, 25 and 26 were denied in the recommendation by the Legislative Finance Division and that a previously recorded transfer of Higher Education Investment Fund receipts from the Traileja campus to the College of Indigenous Studies had been made in error; LFD corrected this in their adjusted base reports.

Representative Bynum reiterated concerns raised earlier in the budget process about shifting costs from university receipts to UGF. "I think it's a bad trend that we would be pushing addition of $2,000,000 worth of personnel and also the change from university receipts to UGF to try to reduce those impacts on tuition," Bynum said, adding that shifting costs to UGF can mask the university's underlying needs and increase pressure on the state's general fund. The committee had no further questions and adjourned the morning session.