Due to meager funding for higher education, the University of Memphis Staff Senate has joined the staff and students at University of Tennessee-Knoxville in a movement calling for more money to be allotted to the state’s higher education.
“Tennessee is 50th for funding for higher education in the United States,” said Marcia Taylor, U of M Staff Senate president and supporter of the movement.
According to Taylor, the Tennessee Board of Regents should have been allotted $115 million for state universities this year, but it received only $97 million. That’s only about 83 percent of needed funds, a total that is down 15 percent from 1995.
In consequence, The U of M received between $800,000 and $900,000 of the $8 million each year required for the daily maintenance of the campus. Taylor said that if The U of M can keep the funding for research at a healthy level, the school may not have to downsize the staff. However, staff and faculty at The U of M are certainly not holding on to well-paying jobs here in Tigertown.
“Staff salaries here range from 12 to 22 percent lower than the Memphis job market. People who stay here are just dedicated to education,” Taylor said.
The group has stated that its mission is to “communicate the dire need for an increase in funding for higher education in our state,” according to Laura Edwards, the U of M Staff Senate vice president.
According to Taylor, the effects of insufficient funding encompass a wide variety of the problems at The U of M. The recent increases in tuition are a direct result of insufficient funds, according to Taylor, and eventually the school may have to limit enrollment.
“That is a double-edged sword too, because we receive less money if we have fewer students enrolled, and less tuition money will be coming in,” Taylor said.
Although the only way to provide proper funding for Tennessee’s universities is either tax or spending reform, the movement has not defined any specific revenue source.
Taylor said she feels a sales tax increase would weigh most heavily on the poor. However, in her opinion, income tax may be beneficial to the state and higher education overall, especially if state income taxes are deductible from federal taxes.
Supporters of the movement can sign an online pledge to vote in the upcoming state elections, and to vote “only for candidates who promise to support a state tax system that provides adequate funding for public education, including higher education, and that does not unfairly burden citizens with lower incomes, including students and their families.” The pledge can be accessed at: http://web.utk.edu/~senate/commitment-to-tennessee.html.
“Funding for Higher Education” rallies in Memphis and Knoxville have been planned for January 26 and will take place simultaneously. In Memphis, the rally will take place at 170 N. Main Street.
