May 28, 2019

State Budget Makes Significant Investments in UA, UA Medical Schools

The Arizona Legislature approved an $11.8 billion state budget for fiscal year 2020 late Monday. The budget reflects many of the priorities set by Gov. Doug Ducey, the Arizona Board of Regents and the University of Arizona.

The budget includes $35 million in one-time funding distributed among the three state universities based on the number of resident students. This represents a $27 million increase over the FY2019 budget, which appropriated $8 million to the three universities.

"Thank you to Gov. Ducey for his leadership and to the Arizona House and Senate for passing a strong Arizona budget,” said UA President Robert C. Robbins. “The budget reinforces the state’s commitment to higher education, K-12 and community colleges. This budget also tackles state problems, including a statewide physician shortage. I am grateful for the hard work by the governor and all lawmakers and their staffs."

The FY2020 budget appropriates the following to the University of Arizona:

• $9.4 million in one-time funding for capital and operating expenses.
• $8 million in ongoing funding to the University of Arizona Health Sciences to expand the College of Medicine – Phoenix and to create tuition waivers for medical students to address the growing physician shortage in Arizona.

“We believe in partnering with the state to solve state problems,” Robbins said.  “This investment in our medical schools will address the serious physician shortage facing Arizona.”

The FY2020 budget also appropriates the following to ABOR to distribute to the universities:

• $15 million in ongoing funding to Arizona Teachers Academy to provide tuition waivers for students who commit to teach in Arizona.
• $160,000 in one-time funding to universities with adaptive athletics program.

The Arizona Teachers Academy will grant tuition waiver scholarships including $5,000 for undergraduate and $10,000 for graduate students willing to teach in Arizona K-12 schools. The UA Teachers Academy currently enrolls graduate students in a year-round program.

The budget provides universities with funding to support adaptive athletics programs and internships in Washington, D.C. The UA has the largest and most comprehensive adaptive athletics program in the PAC-12.

The budget has been transmitted to the governor and awaits his signature.