We very much appreciate the Massachusetts House and Senate restoring $5.25 million in funding to the University of Massachusetts budget. This is a victory for the students, faculty and staff of the five-campus UMass system, and Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Rosenberg, the members of their leadership teams and the legislators who supported today's override are to be commended for their vision and their commitment to excellence in public higher education.
This override means that the Legislature is providing the UMass system with an appropriation of $531.8 million, a 2.5 percent increase over the $519 million in funding the University had at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2015, before a 9C cut reduced our budget to $511 million.
Today's action is reflective of the partnership UMass has built with the Legislature and this partnership is one of the reasons that the UMass system has been ranked as one of the 100 best universities in the world.
While we know that the state has been dealing with its own budget challenges, we hope that the Legislature will act on a supplemental budget to cover the University's $10.9 million in state-funded union contracts for the 2014-2015 academic year. This funding would allow us to pay overdue, collectively bargained increases to the employees who have helped to drive the UMass success story.
Contact: Ann Scales, 617-287-4084