By Larry B. Dendy
After winding its way through the legislature and board of regents, the university's fiscal year 1999 budget was reviewed and adopted this week by the president and cabinet.
The record $1.1 billion budget, of which $492 million comes from the state, includes significant allocations for capital construction, salary increases and facility repairs.
Among the major capital items in the budget is $1.7 million for planning and designing of a new student-learning center, UGA's top capital priority. The center, which will cost an estimated $43 million, will include classrooms, advanced teaching technology and space for library access and student activities.
Other capital projects include about $11 million for the Applied Genetic Technology Resource Center, a Georgia Research Alliance facility for advanced research on plant and animal genetics; $4.9 million for a livestock instructional arena for the animal and dairy science department; and $880,000 in planning money for the Gwinnett Center.
The budget provides for a merit-based salary-increase pool averaging 6 percent for faculty and staff, the fourth consecutive year UGA personnel have received an average 6 percent raise. The General Assembly approved the increase with a provision that raises for 12-month personnel, both faculty and non-faculty, become effective Sept. 1.
The budget provides $9.3 million for major repair and rehabilitation of university facilities, an increase of $1.2 million over the previous year.
"We are grateful to Gov. Miller and to the legislature for these many items on the physical-plant and salary-improvement side which will help the university attract and retain excellent faculty and staff and which will be of great benefit to our students," says President Michael Adams. "At the same time, we are disappointed that the distribution of system-budgeted funds did not allow any increase in programmatic operating expenses. The university will have to adjust certain programmatic budgets in order to operate effectively this coming year."
