As a form of punishment, some Roman generals would divide up legionnaires into groups of 10 and have them select one man by lot. The other nine men would then carry out his execution. This form of discipline became the basis for the word “decimate,” which originally meant “to punish every tenth.” While the meaning has changed over the years, I cannot think of a better description for the recent state funding cuts at the University of Washington.

The latest UW Planning and Budget Brief for the 2009-2011 operating budget lays out the numbers in unambiguous detail. The Legislature cut the university’s funding by $214 million, representing a reduction of 26 percent. Some of this shortfall is offset by a 14 percent increase in tuition, but the total effect is a 12 percent budget cut.

Programs and departments that have already had their lot drawn include the Restore the Core project, the English Department Writing Center, and various TA positions and classes in the College of Arts & Sciences. The budget cuts will likely strike every department and program at the university. These changes foreshadow a profound transformation of the core of the UW that will undermine its identity as a public institution.

Since its founding in 1861, the UW has built a reputation as a public university of the highest quality. We were included in a 2001 Greene’s Guide ranking of Public Ivies, an elite group of public institutions on par with prestigious colleges such as Harvard and Yale. A 2006 Newsweek ranking placed the UW as the 22nd top university in the world. This university has produced numerous Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and Olympic medalists.

State investment in the UW has not been wasted. The benefits extend past having such a distinguished university in Olympia’s backyard. A 2003 U.S. census report found that a staggering 51.6 percent of people over the age of 25 in Seattle had at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest percentage in the nation. Overall, 30.1 percent of Washington residents have achieved this feat. This not only provides a strong base of highly educated individuals for companies such as Boeing and Microsoft, but advances the common good of an informed populace.

That is why the recent funding cuts are so shocking. Can the UW truly be considered a “public” university if more of its revenue comes from students rather than the state? The idea of a pseudo-private public university is not new and represents a depressing nationwide trend.

The Delta Project is a nonprofit organization that studies the costs of higher education in the United States. In 2006, they found that 51 percent of the cost of public research institutions, such as the UW, was paid by students, an increase of 10 percent since 2002. Some states have even contemplated finishing their efforts in postsecondary education divestment. The Michigan Legislature recently explored the idea of privatizing the University of Michigan to help solve their budget crunch.

The fundamental financial model of the university is likely to change due to the reduced state funding. President Emmert has hinted that the University of Washington may adopt the high tuition, high financial aid model of other pseudo-public universities such as Miami University and the University of Virginia. Departments and programs deemed more “profitable” would be favored over others of greater public benefit.

This model undercuts the very purpose of a public university but could be the end result of a continued slide in state support. If a budget is representative of an organization’s priorities, then the Legislature has indicated that it has a low opinion of the UW. Let’s hope that this changes so our university can continue providing a world-class education at a price students can afford.

Reach columnist Mike Noon at opinion@dailyuw.com.