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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Berry

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/09/2007

HB 625

SHORT TITLE

UNM Student-Athlete Retention & Graduation

SB

ANALYST Moser

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$1,000

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

NM Department of Higher Education (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 625 appropriates $1,000,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of the

University of New Mexico (UNM) for expenditure in FY08 to implement programs and support

services to enhance student-athlete retention and timely graduation rates at UNM.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $1,000,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Establishment of programs without any other funding implies that this funding would be

recurring in order to continue this program beyond FY08. Any unexpended or unencumbered

balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

House Bill 625 makes an appropriation to implement programs to enhance student-athlete

retention and timely graduation rates at UNM. According to the UNM Athletics website

(

http://golobos.cstv.com/compliance/nm-mission-statement.html

), the mission of intercollegiate

House Bill 625 – Page

2

athletics at UNM is to provide opportunities for students to participate in intercollegiate athletic

programs as a supplement to their academic experiences. The intercollegiate athletic program

also has an important role in enriching the quality of life for UNM and the statewide community,

and to be a source of pride and encouragement for support of UNM among students, faculty and

staff, alumni, and other citizens of the state and nation.

HED indicates that the UNM athletic director states that graduation rates for athletes are not as

satisfactory as he would prefer at UNM. While athletes’ grades are relatively good, retention and

completion of degrees seem to be the problems. When some athletes finish competing, they are

not returning to school, or some other experience keeps them from coming back to school.

HB625 would provide funds for summer school funding, bridge programs for incoming

freshman athletes, scholarships, computer support needs, a program psychologist, and support

for students who are no longer eligible to compete but still have not graduated.

This request was not submitted by UNM to HED for review and is not included in HED’s

funding recommendation for FY08.

GM/mt