Although the state legislature has yet to convene, Gov. Chris Gregoire’s 2009-2011 biennial budget proposal is already looking grim for higher education.

The proposal includes a significant reduction in funding for the state’s universities and colleges, suggesting that difficult times lie ahead for the UW.

“The nation is experiencing the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression … we all must make the sacrifices needed to weather this recession as well as plan together for the best possible recovery,” Gregoire said in a press conference following a roundtable discussion with state business and labor leaders.

In 2008 alone, the UW lost $16.8 million in its appropriation from the state’s general fund, and with the governor’s proposed budget the UW would face another 13 percent cut for the 2009-2011 fiscal period. This reduction would result in a loss of $116 million in the university’s funding.

“This will be one of the largest budget cuts the University of Washington has ever faced in its 147 years of existence,” said Jake Faleschini, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS), in an e-mail to campus leaders. “To put this in perspective, the current budget deficit is roughly equal to the annual budget of the College of Arts and Sciences.”

Increased tuition, larger class sizes and reduced funding for TA positions are all anticipated repercussions of the budget reductions.

According to a summary of the proposed budget for higher education on the governor’s Web site, “The research and regional colleges and universities may offer fewer courses and reduce faculty positions. Students may experience larger class sizes and fewer support services.”

Budget proposals from the state House and Senate will be developed during the legislative session that begins Jan. 12, and the final state budget is expected to be released in mid-April after review by the governor.

“This will affect every aspect of what we do,” said Dennis Hartmann, interim dean for the College of the Environment. “I hope the final cuts will not be this large, since it will take a very long time to recover … even if the economy improves in the next few years and our budgets grow back to their present level.”

The College of the Environment, scheduled to open in the fall, has already experienced effects of the proposed budget cuts. The additional funding the college had hoped to receive this year was not included in the governor’s proposed budget, and as a result the College of the Environment has put a freeze on hiring.

After discussions with representatives of the university community, Provost Phyllis Wise is scheduled to send estimates for potential budget cuts to campus leaders in late January. Until the state budget is released in April, no final decisions will be made.

Randy Hodgins, UW director of state relations, said the decision of where to distribute the cuts on campus will ultimately be left to the Board of Regents, with input from President Mark Emmert and Wise.

Students will be represented in discussions concerning the budget by the GPSS and ASUW leaders who hold seats on the Senate Committee on Planning and Budgeting and the University Budget Committees.

“No final decisions will be made for several months, since we do not yet know of the extent of the budget cuts of the UW,” Wise wrote in an e-mail. “The governor’s budget proposal is only the first step in the state budget development.”

Reach editorial assistant Lexie Krell at news@dailyuw.com.