UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS RELIEVED AMENDMENT 4 WILL NOT BE ON BALLOT

The University of Arkansas, although sensitive to the concerns of taxpayers in Arkansas, is relieved the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled today to remove proposed Amendment 4 from the ballot, as its impact would have been devastating to higher education.

"The court's decision to remove Amendment 4 from the ballot is tremendous news to the University of Arkansas," said Chancellor John A. White. "We are on the fast track in becoming a nationally competitive research institution and future progress will heavily rely on continued state funding. Had amendment 4 passed, this progress would have been stopped cold."

Had Amendment 4 passed, the Univeristy of Arkansas would have lost $25 million to $38 million a year, or up to 44 percent of the University's state appropriation. This would have equated to possibly hundreds of layoffs of faculty and staff, elimination of academic programs as well as outreach programs and services.

'The most devastating result would have been to our students and scholarship funding available to them. We are proud to say that our initiative to provide research opportunities and scholarship funding has attracted an outstanding intellectually talented freshman class from Arkansas as well as from around the country," White said. "Bringing such talented students to the University is vital to our continued progress as the flagship institution of our state. Such a severe cut in funding, as would have resulted with passage of Amendment 4, would have devastated our initiatives to do this."

"Although the court's decision is good news for the University of Arkansas, we recognize that the concerns of frustrated taxpayers must still be addressed," said Richard Hudson, vice-chancellor for government and community relations. "It is important that whatever tax relief is provided not have a negative impact on education."

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