Students Learn How State Budget Affects Them

University of Kentucky students were treated to a crash course on the state budget and how it affects higher education, tuition, and university policy Tuesday night.

With state budget cuts looming and an ambitious plan revamp UK's residence halls and undergraduate facilities underway, higher education funding is on a lot of minds these days - and not just administrators. A crowd of nearly 70, mostly students, attended an economic forum about the state budget. Angela Martin, vice president of finance at UK, says Medicaid, Medicare, and corrections are putting more pressure on state lawmakers.

"From the university side, we have to make up for that reduction in state appropriations in essence by finding either other revenue sources or reducing costs and it's usually a combination of both, which is why we're looking at tuition and fee income to help offset some of the state appropriation cuts," Martin says.

Students also learned about Kentucky's executive-based budgeting system that begins with the governor, Kentucky's mandate to balance its budget, and the importance of economic forecasting.