No Rivalry Here: University Presidents Work Together for Fair Funding

The University of Alabama and Auburn University may be rivals on the football field, but the presidents of the two institutions and their football coaches say they stand together with other state colleges and universities in their joint support for fair funding for education.

UA President Andrew Sorensen and AU Interim President William Walker were among several higher education leaders who gathered in Montgomery today for a news conference to show their support for increased education funding. Joining them were Dr. Joe Lee, president of Alabama State University; L. C. Cole, head football coach at Alabama State University; David Housel, Auburn athletic director; and Mal Moore, athletic director at The University of Alabama.

Looking ahead to the 2002 session of the Alabama Legislature, the presidents called for an end to the practice of prorating education budgets in response to declines in the economy.

“Bill Walker and I share a strong commitment to fair funding for education in this state,” Sorensen said. “Alabamians deserve the best education possible from kindergarten to post-graduate studies. We can only achieve that goal with strong support from the governor and the legislature.”

“Increased education funding is critical to our state’s economy and to our future,” Walker said. “We are still struggling with the serious effects of proration in last year’s budget. Additional budget cuts would be disastrous for higher education.”

Sorensen said the presidents support the efforts of the governor, the Alabama Legislature and the business community to find a solution to the threat of proration in the 2002 budget.

“We support the efforts of the state leadership to address loopholes in current tax law. We must find ways to address the shortfall in the Education Trust Fund,” Sorensen said.

Walker said the presidents encourage all Alabamians to join the effort to create tax fairness and establish a more stable base of funding for the Education Trust Fund.