The fat will hit the fire today in Tallahassee as state lawmakers convene in the capitol for the start of the spring legislative session.
The impending budget cuts that have probably plagued the dreams of lawmakers and administrators alike will finally begin to take shape, but UF still won't know the size of its cut until the end of the session.
The state is facing a budget deficit that could be as high as $5 billion, according to projections.
On top of that, with cash so tight this year, UF was asked by the state and the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida's 11 public universities, not to submit a state budget request seeking funding for specific projects and programs like it typically does, said UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes.
Instead, UF has issued a list of six broad budget priorities.
The priorities include passing the tuition bill that would allow universities to raise tuition by up to 15 percent a year until they reach the national average, minimizing budget cuts, and securing more funding for the College of Medicine and for construction projects around campus.
UF also launched its Gators for Higher Education Web site, gatorsforhighered.ufl.edu, on Wednesday that explains the legislative priorities and asks UF's faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters to lobby their legislators.
Bill Edmonds, spokesman for the Board of Governors, said all 11 state universities were asked this year not to submit budget requests that included proposals for university-specific issues.
This year is the first time since 2004, when the board was created and first implemented the current budget request policy, that they were asked not to do so, Edmonds said.
That doesn't mean the board, which usually bundles the requests into one large request for the entire State University System, isn't asking the state for money this year.
The board is seeking an operating budget for 2009-2010 of almost $3.2 billion, according to the board's request.
Last year's operating budget was just over $3 billion.
Sikes said UF understands that lawmakers have a tough task before them.
"We're hoping for the best," she said. "We are trying to mitigate budget cuts. That's our number one priority."
