Research funding continues to grow by eight to ten percent per year and now is higher than the funding for instruction. The university plans to review licensure, copyright and patent policy. The former president of Hadco will advise the university on public relations and marketing for one year. The university's faculty emeriti have contributed generously with private gifts. The university remains seriously underfunded by the state, and only fifteen percent of the university's budget is state funded.
Student debt continues to grow.
The university is asking the state for a six-year commitment for the capital budget. A professor expressed concern that, since the contract requires that faculty raises be made on a percentage of salary, older faculty get a much greater monetary raise than do younger faculty who may be doing creative work. Another professor replied that the size of the increment related to promotion has gone up, and so that will benefit good young faculty. A third faculty member said that there is nothing to prevent the president from rewarding a faculty member for special work. The president replied that she looks forward to responding to this debate when the contract is signed.