Following is the text of the e-mail University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken sent to UNL students Oct. 24 regarding a proposed state spending lid. Similar messages were sent to students at NU’s Omaha, Kearney and medical school campuses:

You are no doubt aware of ballot Initiative #423 (also referred to as the spending lid), which will be on the Nov. 7 general election ballot in Nebraska. Although as a public employee I am prohibited from using public resources to advocate support or opposition to a ballot question, I am allowed to provide an objective analysis of the potential impact of Initiative 423, and to encourage you to actively express your views as private citizens and to vote.

Our budget office has analyzed the potential impact of Initiative 423 on the University of Nebraska and on projected tuition rates. This information can be found at www.nebraska.edu/423. I urge you to review this and consider its implications. In short, the analysis demonstrates that the proposed spending lid could result in sharply higher tuition and reductions in important university programs and services.

Our analysis shows that if the spending lid had been put into effect 10 years ago, the university’s state appropriation for 2007 would be $134 million less than it is today. This amount (30 percent of the state general fund budget for the entire university system) is roughly equal to the entire state appropriation for the UNL City Campus this year. For additional perspective, consider the impact that students felt from the budget cuts taken by the university in 2001-03. Those cuts, which totaled about $50 million, led to tuition increases of 10 percent, 10 percent, 15 percent and 12 percent from 2001-04 for resident undergraduates, and even higher increases for non-resident students. For the last two years, due in large measure to stronger state support, we have been able to hold tuition increases to a much more moderate level.

Maintaining affordable access to education is the university’s highest priority — one which will almost certainly be affected if Initiative 423 would pass. To make up the difference that would result from Initiative 423, our budget office projects tuition could rise as much as 57 percent in the next two years.

There are, of course, many other implications of such a spending lid apart from its impact on higher education. There is debate — and uncertainty, to be sure — about its impact on property taxes, local services such as police and fire departments, K-12 education and more. You should consider the arguments regarding these important issues as well.

Between now and Nov. 7, I encourage you to study the proposed spending lid, which will become part of our state constitution if approved by the electorate, and to voice your opinion on this intiative through personal contacts, letters to the editor of your local newspaper and other opportunities in your part of the state. There is no issue on the ballot this year that is more important to the future of the university and the State of Nebraska.

James B. Milliken

President, University of Nebraska