AUGUSTA, GA -
If the White House and Congress are unable to reach a
deal by week's end, the 2011 Budget Control Act could take effect. The act
calls for a roughly five percent across the board cut to the federal budget
through a process called sequestration.
While specifics about how plans would be implemented are
not known, cuts will impact government sponsored research and financial aid at
universities across the country, including Georgia Regents University. Cuts to
agencies like the National Institutes of Health, which funds research by
numerous GRU researchers, could significantly impact numbers of research awards
– funding that is focused on finding new cures and treatments for diseases and
on developing new scientists through training grants. Federal Work Study and
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, which benefit many GRU students,
could also suffer. Georgia Regents Health System, which operates the clinical
enterprise associated with the university, could also be impacted by cuts to Medicare.
These cuts could impact growth, faculty and student
recruitment at Georgia Regents. As one of the state's four public comprehensive
research universities and the only public academic medical center in Georgia,
Georgia Regents also faces additional financial challenges if sequestration
comes to pass, as federal budget cuts may also impact state budgets and funding
priorities.
Being mindful of this developing situation, we continue
to follow a conservative budget process.
Georgia Regents will continue to monitor this situation
and are hopeful that the tremendous value Georgia's universities and academic
health centers provide can be preserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WFXG, a Raycom Media Station.
