Asked by the legislature to assess the impact of the proposed budget cuts on the University of Washington (about $218 million), the UW sent  a letter to  Sens. Ed Murray, chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and Rodney Tom, chair of the higher ed committee and Reps. Ross Hunter, chair of the House Ways & Means Committee and Larry Seaquist, chair of the House Higher Education Committee yesterday.

Interim UW President Phyllis Wise wrote in the cover letter:

Times are tough, but please know—without state funding and strategic solutions solutions—everything is at risk. The opportunities. The economic impact. The future of our state. The University of Washington and the state of Washington are at a critical point. We need to solve our toughest challenges now. Higher education is a part of the solution, but we can’t do it without you.

The letter goes on to outline the impacts of cuts ranging between $189 million and $246 million, the range currently on the table. Here's the estimated impact at the mid-point, a $218 million cut.

Specific impacts could include: Up to 900 fewer degrees annually, 350 in high-demand areas (i.e., engineering, math, science); undergraduate resident tuition increase that fully mitigates this cut level: 25.2 percent/per, $5,800 in additional tuition to be paid by a student and his or her family; up to 1,100 fewer degrees annually, 425 in high-demand areas (i.e., engineering, math, science).

The letter puts the cuts in the context of the hit the UW took in the last biennium—$132 million, resulting in two 14 percent tuition hikes, which brought the damage down to a $57 million gap.

The result then:

Eliminated 950 jobs; ... closed/eliminated 12 degree programs; increased advisor load by 180 students per advisor; closed 384 undergraduate lecture sections and 130 small group sections; decreased number of lab sections by 20%, while average lab size increased 38%; closed 4 writing/tutoring centers and 2 computer labs (loss of 1/3 student workstations); closed 1 library, reduced library hours, and canceled subscriptions to over 1,200 journals; and reduced hundreds of hours of student counseling services (advising, financial aid, health)