Alumni and friends of the University of Texas, our university could face harder times as the Legislature considers the budget for the next two years.

UT-Austin is poised to take another cut based on the currently proposed Senate budget. This proposal will hurt the university’s ability to educate students, deliver cutting-edge research, and innovate for the people and businesses of our great state.

The Senate's proposal significantly alters the funding methods for important research and public service programs like the McDonald Observatory, the Bureau of Economic Geology, and the Marine Science Institute, which are critical to the mission of the university. This new funding model reduces core state appropriations for UT-Austin by 10 percent, or $48 million, and could have long-term consequences for higher education in Texas.

Additionally, the Senate proposal leaves the new Dell Medical School entirely unsupported, with zero funding in the proposed state budget. No other public medical school is treated this way.

All the above amounts to a continued systematic divestment in public higher education. Universities like our flagship are struggling to educate the future workforce of Texas—future teachers, doctors, architects, engineers, programmers, and more.

For more than 130 years, the University of Texas at Austin has been a major contributor to the state’s economy. In fact, it is among the best investments the government can make: UT alumni generated $8.8 billion, or the equivalent of more than 133,000 new jobs, in 2013 alone. The university attracts more than $700 million in research funding, generates $400 million through its entrepreneurship programs, and educates students who go on to add more than $6 billion annually to the state’s economy.

It is vital that you stay informed on the budget as it makes its way through the legislative process. The next few weeks are critical.

We ask that you share this update in your area and let other alumni and friends know that we all need to stand up for the university as these conversations are taking place at the Capitol.

To see the impact of UT-Austin in your community, check out our district one-pagers here.