A letter to the community: Invest in our University’s students, Guam’s future
A letter to the community: Invest in our University’s students, Guam’s future
A letter to the community: Invest in our University’s students, Guam’s future
3/17/2023
By President Thomas W. Krise, University of Guam
O
ver seven decades, the University of Guam has helped nearly 20,000 students launch
careers that have made lasting impacts on the island and our region. People who attend
UOG are far more likely to stay in Guam after graduation than those who go off island.
And UOG graduates are extraordinary people who dream and achieve.
Here are just a few recent examples.
Many of our students pursue professions in health and medicine. Over the last few
years, our nursing graduates have achieved 100% or near 100% pass rates for the NCLEX
nursing exam, showing that they are ready to add their skills and energy to our healthcare
workforce. Our 2020 valedictorian, Megan Gimmen, was accepted into 12 medical schools
including Harvard and Yale. She chose Harvard. Five biology graduates from the first
cohort of our bio-med track were accepted into medical school programs. And the best
part? All these high-achieving young people want to come back to Guam and serve their
community.
Our School of Education has produced educators throughout early childhood, elementary,
and high school classrooms. Teachers who graduate from UOG are highly prepared, and
many also become specialists, counselors, and principals throughout public and private
schools in Guam. Recently, Michelle De Guzman, a 2009 graduate in education and former
teacher at Juan M. Guerrero Elementary School, received the Presidential Award for
Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching — considered the highest honor nationwide
for K-12 STEM teachers.
Graduate students in our Marine Lab and Water Environmental Research Institute (WERI)
contribute to our island by monitoring the health of our coral reefs and marine life
and the quality of our fresh water source, respectively. Leilani Sablan,
a biology grad student recently embarked on a deep-sea research expedition as part
of a research team studying the Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific.
Our School of Business and Public Administration students and alumni contribute to
discussions on public policy, develop innovative ideas as future entrepreneurs, and
develop into future accountants, marketers, human resources specialists, public servants,
and other members of our island’s professional workforce. Kehani Mendiola, a public
administration graduate, became UOG’s 19th Truman Scholar in 2021.
Triton alumni are also contributors to the arts in our community — whether through
the Guam Territorial Band, “Breaking Waves” in theater, or through distinctive murals
across the island. Austin Domingo, a 2012 art graduate, has a recognizable artistic
style. His bright, intricate works have infused life and cultural pride on public
walls, corporate buildings, bus stops, food trucks, and even shipping containers.
He says that the “UOG” mural he designed and painted at the Field House brought his
career as an artist full circle.
While we celebrate the successes of our students and alumni, behind the scenes, the
University of Guam is barely getting by.
In FY 2018, UOG received $30.7 million in GovGuam appropriations for general operations,
but in the five years that followed, funding decreased year after year. By FY 2023,
funding was 23% lower than in FY 2018. The decrease is starkly lower — 35%, factoring
in the cost of inflation. We had to go back 20 years to see the last time UOG was
funded at such a low level.
Over the years, investment into the University’s general operations has continued
to fall short while the costs of providing a modern, high-quality education and college
experience to our students continue to rise.
We look to the 37th Guam Legislature to reverse five years of decreased budget appropriations.
For FY 2024, we are asking for $42 million in general operations funding to turn the
corner and show our accreditors and the world that Guam supports UOG. This
amount will stabilize UOG’s operations, hold off a tuition increase, allow for hiring
critical faculty and staff positions, and allow the University to address facilities
maintenance issues which can no longer be deferred.
A recent economic impact study by economist Claret Ruane found that UOG generates
$3 in additional GovGuam tax revenue for every $1 that GovGuam appropriates to the
University, and that UOG generates $350 million a year in total economic impact in
Guam. This is a sound return on taxpayers’ money.
Yes, Tritons dream and achieve. But these dreams and achievements need a Legislature
and a Government that believe that their investment will pay off over time for our
island. It is our hope we can continue to give our Tritons the support they need to
be major contributors to our island and region — socially, culturally, and economically.
A Triton’s success is also Guam’s success. Please invest in our students.