Kentucky Kernel -- April 15, 1997

<BODY BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF LINK=#0066ff ALINK=#0066ff VLINK=#660000> <BLOCKQUOTE>    <CENTER> <FONT SIZE=6> <B>Wethington's letter refuted</B><P> </FONT> </CENTER> <FONT SIZE=4><B>By Kathy Reding</B><BR></FONT>News Editor <HR> A letter from UK President Charles Wethington to the governor and a prospectus by Fitzgerald Bramwell, vice president of research and graduate studies, have become widely read, even though they were addressed to only Gov. Paul Patton.<P> In a hearing before the state Task Force on Postsecondary Education yesterday, Sheryl Snyder, a Louisville attorney, presented an analysis of UK's rationale of requirements for its becoming a top 20 research institution. UK is currently 45th.The analysis, completed by Snyder and a committee of seven others, concluded that the letter was "hurriedly put together," Snyder said. <P> "The numbers, in our view, are considerably overstated," Snyder said of the $795 million needed for UK to reach that level stated in Wethington's letter. <P> "I don't think it's a matter of (Wethington's) being right or wrong," Snyder said. "It's a suggestion that the methodology is faulty and should not be relied upon." <P> Patton had asked the committee of business leaders and attorneys to review whether UK's projection of resources necessary to reach his proposed top 20 status in 20 years was in the ballpark. He said if the price tag had been accurate, he would rethink that goal. <P> The evaluation states UK's costs are based on the full cost of maintaining the entire university as a top 20 facility rather than the marginal cost on a program-by-program basis of elevating UK's status. <P> UK's numbers also assume all the funding comes from tax dollars but account for none from federal and private research grants, the major sources of research university funding, Snyder said. <P> Based on the conclusions, Patton said, "The state should not give up that goal (of UK as a top 20 university), and we should appoint a scholarly study (of what the goal will cost)." <P> Patton, in outlining budgeting that would take place if his plan for postsecondary education were approved, said he would give $20 million to $30 million per year for 20 years to UK to improve as a research institution. <P> "Is my number so completely ludicrous and ridiculous?" Patton asked. "One hundred and four million dollars a year is impossible for this state to do. To me 20 million (dollars) or possibly 30 million (dollars) is absolutely all I can see the state of Kentucky giving to this institution." <P> Bramwell, David Watt, vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Del Carter, vice chancellor in the medical center, defended UK's rationalization of the funds needed. <P> Bramwell said $30 million a year for 25 years would equal $750 million, close to UK's total estimate. <P> "(Patton's dollar proposal) jives with our snapshot," Bramwell told the task force. <P> He said the $104 million per year outlined in the prospectus for recurring needs would go to funding the additional faculty needed for the higher research status. He did not answer whether he thought Patton's proposed amount would boost UK to the desired status. <P> "State money of any amount would make an impact," Bramwell said. <P> Representative Greg Stumbo asked for a study to determine the actual cost of improving research at UK because Snyder's committee did not set out to do this. <P> "We all agree that it's a worthwhile goal, but how much does this cost?" Stumbo said. "There's nothing out there that tells us what this is really going to cost." <P> He and other legislators said they would disregard Wethington's letter. <P> Watt asked the task force not to debate numbers, but to look at UK's strategic plan for targeting research areas, which will begin this fall and come back to the funding question next year. <P> The task force asked University of Louisville President John Shumaker for U of L's plans for using the $10 million to $15 million that would be allocated to it, which amounts to a third of the research funds. The $20 million to $30 million for UK represents two-thirds. <P> Shumaker said U of L already has a strategic plan in place to focus on specific programs; the school is ranked 111 among public research institutions. He said the governor's funding will help bring U of L up to its mission in a shorter period of time than it could alone. <P> Shumaker said he thought UK and U of L could easily match the state's funding with private donations and grants earned by professors. <P> Reports to the task force continue today regarding the establishment of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. <P>    <HR> <P> <CENTER> <FONT SIZE=5> [ <A HREF="welcome.html">Contents</A> | <A HREF="http://www.kykernel.com/">Home</A> | <A HREF="/archive.html">Archives</A> | <A HREF="/feed.html">Feedback</A> ]<BR> </FONT> <P> <B>© Copyright 1997, Kernel Press Inc. All Rights Reserved</B><BR>  </BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY>