UH regents add to
requests for new budget

Funds are sought for internal
audits and med school pay

LIHUE >> University of Hawaii regents proposed yesterday to give the John A. Burns School of Medicine an additional $5 million for salaries over two years.

The regents also increased funding for internal audits by almost $1 million during the two years.

The proposals were part of the UH Board of Regents' revised budget request for 2006 and 2007. At a meeting on Kauai, the regents recommended a 15 percent increase in the two-year budget, up from the 12 percent increase that they had been considering.

The university budget is set in two-year cycles. The UH system was appropriated a total of $622.9 million for 2004 and 2005. The regents are seeking a total of $715.1 million for 2006 and 2007.

The board also requested $305 million for construction projects, including infrastructure, repair and maintenance.

The request now goes to Gov. Linda Lingle, who might amend it before sending it to the Legislature as part of the governor's budget package.

The other major decision scheduled to be made by the regents this month was put off until next month at the earliest.

The board's agenda called for a vote on creating a College of Pharmacy at UH-Hilo, but it was clear after two hours of presentations and debate that many of the regents are not convinced there is a need for a pharmacy school and, even if there is a need, that it belongs at Hilo.

Pharmacy students from Hawaii now attend colleges on the mainland. Because of interstate compacts, they pay resident tuition at the schools they choose.

The regents' October meeting will be in Hilo, and several board members said they wanted to hear testimony from members of the community and the college faculty and administration before deciding. Placing the proposed new college at Hilo would increase the number of students at the campus by about 30 percent.