Statement from Cynthia Wilbanks, vice president for government relations:

We cannot fail to acknowledge the extraordinary challenges that our state faces this year. Gov. Jennifer Granholm?s recommendation for higher education spending will now become part of the budget-building process underway at the University of Michigan. It is still early in our planning process.

As the House and Senate review the governor’s recommendation in the coming months, we will carefully consider the impact of a proposed 3 percent reduction while continuing to cut costs and adopt additional efficiency measures.

At the same time, we will work to provide access and maintain a quality education for University of Michigan students. We look forward to working with the governor and legislators over the next several months to minimize the negative consequences of what we anticipate will be another difficult year.

Provost’s message to the U-M community